The execution chamber had no medical oxygen or mask, forcing staff to retrieve the equipment when the procedure went wrong, NBC News reported, citing a source who witnessed what happened. Pike spent several days unconscious and on a ventilator before regaining consciousness and later returning to prison, where she continues to receive medical care.
Her attorneys have begun a court fight in Nashville to prevent another execution attempt. Whether Tennessee will try again remains unresolved. Gov. Bill Lee halted scheduled executions for the rest of 2026 and ordered an independent review. Pike, 50, was sentenced to death for the 1995 murder of her classmate Colleen Slemmer, 19.