New Delhi: The failed execution of Christa Pike in Tennessee has revived scrutiny of how the US carries out the death penalty.
Pike, 50, was convicted of a classmate’s murder in 1996 and was sentenced to death, becoming the first woman to be executed by the state of Tennessee in about 200 years.
On 30 September, officials gave two doses of the lethal drug pentobarbital to Pike, but she survived the procedure and was taken to the hospital in critical condition.
Her lawyers said the failed execution left her with severe injuries. She has since regained consciousness and begun speaking, though her long-term prognosis remains uncertain.
The Death Penalty Information Centre, drawing on research by Austin Sarat, estimates that 276 of 8,776 executions carried out in the US between 1890 and 2010 were botched.
The different methods have repeatedly questioned the promise of a quick and painless death. However a botched execution does not necessarily mean the prisoner survives. The term also covers cases involving unexpected delays, technical failures, or complications that cause additional suffering or serious failures in the execution process.
Gas Chambers
The US introduced gas-chamber executions in the 1920s as an alternative to hanging, with Nevada becoming the first state to use lethal gas in 1924. Prisoners were traditionally killed using hydrogen cyanide gas.
Jimmy Lee Gray, Mississippi, 1983
Jimmy Lee Gray was executed in a gas chamber on 2 September 1983 after being convicted of murdering a three-year-old girl.
The execution was widely reported to be botched, as witnesses noted that he gasped repeatedly and banged his head against a metal pole as he struggled to breathe.
The execution became a prominent example of the suffering associated with lethal gas.
Donald Harding, Arizona, 1992
Donald Harding, convicted of three murders in 1980, was executed using cyanide gas in Arizona on 6 April 1992. The execution took around 10 minutes, during which witnesses reported visible signs of distress.
The prolonged death was cited as an example of a botched gas-chamber execution.
The incident led to criticism of the gas chamber and called for Arizona to replace the method with lethal injection.
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Electrocution
Electrocution was introduced in the late 19th century as an alternative to hanging. But it, too, has led to executions in which equipment malfunctioned, or the procedure failed to kill the prisoner as intended.
Willie Francis, Louisiana, 1946
In 1945, Willie Francis was sentenced to death for the murder of Andrew Thomas, a pharmacy owner, who once employed him.
In May 1946, the 17-year-old survived an execution attempt in Louisiana’s electric chair after the equipment failed to work properly.
Francis challenged the state’s plan to try again, arguing that a second attempt would amount to cruel and unusual punishment.
The US Supreme Court ruled against him in 1947, allowing Louisiana to proceed. He was executed later that year.
Jesse Tafero, Florida, 1990
Jesse Tafero was convicted of fatally shooting two police officers during a 1976 traffic stop.
Jesse’s execution was scheduled in May 1990 by electrocution. However, flames reportedly erupted from Jesse Tafero’s head during the attempt in Florida’s electric chair. Three jolts of electricity were given to him before he stopped breathing.
State officials attributed the problem to a synthetic sponge used in the headpiece instead of the natural sponge. The latter type was required to handle the electric current without catching fire.
The case questioned the reliability of a method which was promoted as a modern alternative to hanging.
Lethal injections
According to the Death Penalty Information Center, lethal injection is the most commonly used method of execution in the US. It was introduced in 1982 and was promoted as a cheaper and more humane alternative to older methods such as electrocution or gas chambers.
But difficulties in finding veins, problems with IV lines, and complications during the administration of drugs have led to many botched executions.
Romell Broom, Ohio, 2009
Romell Broom was sentenced to death in 2009 for the rape and murder of a 14-year-old girl in 1989.
In September 2009, Ohio officials spent more than two hours trying to find a suitable vein in Romell Broom’s arm to administer the lethal drugs.
They tried injecting him 18 times in his arms and legs, and in one case even hit a bone. After repeated unsuccessful attempts, the state abandoned the execution and granted him a one-week reprieve.
The state then set 17 June 2020 for the second attempt. On 14 April 2020, Governor Mike DeWine issued a reprieve because drugmakers were refusing to sell execution drugs to Ohio.
So, the new date for the execution was 16 March 2022. However, Broom died in prison in 2020 from COVID-19.
Clayton Lockett, Oklahoma, 2014
Clayton Lockett was convicted of the 1999 kidnapping and murder of Stephanie Neiman, a 19-year-old from Perry, Oklahoma.
He was set to be executed in April 2014. However, the execution went wrong after Oklahoma introduced a new three-drug protocol.
Officials initially declared him unconscious after administering a drug called midazolam. About three minutes later, some witnesses saw him moving, mumbling, and writhing on the gurney.
State officials said a vein had collapsed and the drugs were not entering his bloodstream as intended. The execution was halted, but Lockett died of a heart attack about 40 minutes after the procedure began.
The incident led to an investigation that identified problems related to inadequate training and communication failures
What happens next in Pike’s case?
The Christa Pike incident has prompted Tennessee Governor Bill Lee to pause executions for the rest of 2026 and order an independent review.
A judge has also directed state officials to preserve evidence related to the attempt, including drugs, medical equipment, recordings, and official communications.