A Nashville judge ordered Tennessee prison officials on Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026, to preserve all physical and electronic evidence related to the Sept. 30 failed execution of Christa Pike. Davidson County Chancellor I’Ashea Myles mandated the preservation of items including drugs, IV lines, needles, medical waste, and all digital communications sent by officials during the procedure. The court also ordered that Pike's attorneys be granted "liberal access" to their client, requiring prison officials to respond to in-person visit requests within two hours.
The ruling follows a lethal injection attempt one week ago at the Riverbend Maximum Security Institution. During the procedure, Pike was administered two doses of pentobarbital, a barbiturate. According to witness accounts from her attorney Randy Spivey, Pike reported a burning sensation in her arm after the first dose and requested the IV be moved higher. After the second dose, she fell unconscious but continued to make choking sounds. The execution was eventually halted, and Pike was hospitalized in critical condition.
Pike’s legal team reported on Wednesday that she has regained consciousness and is speaking but remains in critical care. Attorneys stated she is suffering from pneumonia, a blood clot in her arm, and extreme swelling in her hands and arms. Her lawyers alleged that correctional staff failed to properly establish an IV line, leading to a "blown vein" that allowed the lethal drugs to spread through her body. Tennessee Assistant Attorney General John W. Ayers stated in court that any decision regarding a future execution date would rest with the state supreme court.
Pike is the only person in the modern era of the U.S. death penalty to survive after being injected with lethal chemicals, according to the Death Penalty Information Center. Following the failed procedure, Tennessee Department of Correction Commissioner Frank Strada resigned and Governor Bill Lee ordered an investigation and a halt to executions through the end of the year.
Pike, now 50, has spent three decades on death row for the 1995 murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer. Her attorneys are seeking to commute her sentence to life without parole, arguing that another execution attempt would be unconscionable. The preservation of evidence ordered by Judge Myles—including records from encrypted platforms and physical medical supplies—seeks to prevent the loss of information pertinent to future litigation. The legal team noted that the long-term medical impact on Pike remains unknown.
Governor Lee previously denied Pike's clemency petition, but her attorneys have renewed their request for a commuted sentence. The court specifically directed the state to attempt to retrieve any information or evidence that may have already been discarded or deleted. No new execution date has been set.