Tennessee execution of Christa Pike fails after two lethal injections administered

Tennessee failed to execute Christa Pike on Wednesday after two doses of a lethal drug did not kill her. Pike, 50, received two injections of pentobarbital at 8:26 p.m. Witnesses said she kept a heartbeat and could be heard snoring. Her lawyers quickly filed an emergency request to stop the execution while it was still happening. Pike was then taken to hospital, where doctors gave her life-saving treatment. She is the only woman on Tennessee's death row. Pike was convicted in 1996 for killing Colleen Slemmer, a 19-year-old, in 1995. The state used only pentobarbital this time, instead of its previous three-drug method. The failed execution has raised serious questions about whether Tennessee's injection method is legal and effective.