Pike survived two doses of pentobarbital during the Sept. 30 execution attempt and remains hospitalized in Nashville. Her lawyers say the drug leaked out of her veins into surrounding tissue, causing severe caustic burns. Tennessee says it followed its execution protocol. A judge on Wednesday ordered the state to preserve syringes and other evidence.
Gov. Bill Lee halted scheduled executions for the rest of 2026 and ordered an independent review after the failure, Tennessee’s second this year. Pike’s attorneys are seeking commutation of her death sentence for the 1995 murder of classmate Colleen Slemmer, 19, committed when Pike was 18. The state has not said whether it will attempt to execute her again.