Pike Returns to Tennessee Prison After Botched Execution

Christa Pike was discharged from a hospital on Oct. 10, 2026, and returned to the Deborah K. Johnson Rehabilitation Center, where she has been housed for more than 30 years. On Sept. 30, two doses of pentobarbital were administered; the lethal injection was halted after she appeared to still be breathing, and she was rushed to a hospital. Her attorneys from Federal Defender Services of Eastern Tennessee and the Tennessee Office of the Post Conviction Defender said she is grateful to the first responders and her medical team for their care in these extraordinary circumstances. They said she is continuing to receive medical care at the prison and that they will continue to track her recovery. Gov. Bill Lee halted all remaining executions this year and commissioned an independent investigation. Davidson County Chancery Court Chancellor I'Ashea Myles put Pike's initial challenge, originally launched in January, back on the court schedule. Before the execution, Pike's legal team cited the single-drug pentobarbital protocol as problematic. Pike, 50, was sentenced for killing Colleen Slemmer, 19, in January 1995, when Pike was 18. WZTV described the attorneys' statement as released Sunday; other outlets tied the discharge news to Saturday. Investigation findings and next steps on her case remain open.