The state's prison chief steps down following a botched lethal injection that left the inmate alive and hospitalized.
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The state's prison chief steps down following a botched lethal injection that left the inmate alive and hospitalized.
The commissioner of Tennessee’s Department of Correction, Frank Strada, has resigned after the state’s failed attempt to execute inmate Christa Pike.
Governor Bill Lee announced the resignation on Saturday, which ends Strada's three-year tenure overseeing the state’s prisons. Strada previously held a senior role in Arizona’s prison system, which the Al Jazeera filing noted also experienced complications during executions.
In a statement, Governor Lee said Strada had served with integrity and put the interests of the state first. Strada called his resignation necessary, saying it was 'in the best interests' of Tennessee as an investigation proceeds.
Christa Pike, 50, is in critical condition at a Nashville hospital, unconscious and on a ventilator, after surviving two injections of the lethal drug pentobarbital on Wednesday.
Her lawyers, in a court filing cited in the BBC and Al Jazeera reports, argued the IV lines were not correctly placed, causing the drug to flow into her body tissue rather than her bloodstream. They said she could be heard crying and whimpering during the procedure.
The state had proceeded with the execution despite warnings from Pike's attorneys that her medical conditions and small veins could cause unnecessary pain. This was Tennessee’s second failed execution attempt this year, following another in May, as noted by France 24.
Governor Lee has ordered an independent review into the failed execution and halted all other executions in Tennessee for the rest of the year.
Pike's attorneys called the commissioner's resignation 'justified' but said it does not help their client now. They argued the failure reflects a systemic problem with Tennessee's death penalty.
Authorities have not yet said if they will attempt to execute Pike again. Her lawyers have also filed an emergency motion to preserve evidence from the botched procedure.
3 independent outlets filed 4 reports within the same hour. Coverage is still building.
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The state's governor said Frank Strada would step down as an independent review examines what went wrong.
The head of Tennessee's prison system has resigned in the first major shake-up since the stunning failed execution of Christa Pike, who is in critical condition after surviving two lethal injections. Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, who previously denied Pike clemency, has halted further executions through the rest of the year
Texas reporter Michael Graczyk has seen botched executions in his time, but not one in which an inmate survived.
Pike survived two lethal injections on Wednesday and is currently in critical condition in hospital.
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