Tennessee halted executions after Colleen Slemmer's killer Christa Pike survived two lethal injection attempts during her execution on Thursday, according to the BBC World.
Pike has been on death row since her 1996 conviction for Slemmer's murder. The execution began but Pike survived the first lethal injection attempt. Executioners then tried a second time, and Pike again survived.
The failed execution prompted Tennessee officials to pause the state's execution schedule. The halt suggests officials need time to review execution procedures following the botched lethal injection attempts.
Pike's case dates back nearly three decades. She received a death sentence following her conviction in 1996 for killing Slemmer. The execution attempt that failed on Thursday marked a significant moment in Tennessee's capital punishment system.
The survival of two lethal injection attempts raises questions about the state's execution protocols and methodology. Tennessee, like many states, uses lethal injection as its primary execution method. The failed attempts on Pike suggest potential technical or procedural issues with how the state administers capital punishment.
The execution halt affects other death row inmates in Tennessee who may have been scheduled for executions. State officials have not yet announced when executions will resume or what changes, if any, will be made to execution procedures going forward.
Pike's case remains one of Tennessee's longest-running death row cases. Her survival of the two lethal injection attempts creates an unprecedented situation for the state's capital punishment system.