Tennessee governor halts executions after Christa Gail Pike survives lethal injection

Tennessee officials were unable to put Christa Gail Pike to death Wednesday for a 1995 murder after administering two doses of a lethal drug. Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee halted the remaining execution for the year.

<img src='https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/8640x5760+0+0/resize/8640x5760!/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F3b%2Ff3%2F120df3d342878c8c9ae39c616c09%2Fap26274087312825.jpg' alt='Emergency vehicles arrive at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution after the execution of Christa Pike was halted Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026, in Nashville, Tenn.'/><p>Tennessee officials were unable to put Christa Gail Pike to death Wednesday for a 1995 murder after administering two doses of a lethal drug. Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee halted the remaining execution for the year.</p><p>(Image credit: George Walker IV)</p><img src='https://media.npr.org/include/images/tracking/npr-rss-pixel.png?story=nx-s1-5986822' />