America’s tolerance for the death penalty has been severely tested twice in recent weeks. On September 30, Tennessee failed to kill Krista Peck, who survived two injections of pentobarbital. Eight days later, Defense Minister Peter Hegseth cheerfully invited the nation to watch via live broadcast the execution of Nidal Hassan, scheduled for December 3. Another week later, President Donald Trump canceled the broadcast amid an uproar. In a post on The Truth Society, he said that while he believed live broadcasts could convey useful messages about American strength, he acknowledged that “many very kind and well-intentioned people would rather not watch.” He makes it sound like a programming preference rather than a moral preference.
Pike’s poor execution didn’t make Tennessee look strong. Although the event is not public, there is a surveillance room connected to the death chamber. In one sat May Martinez, the mother of Colleen Slemmer, who was 19 when Pike, then 18, beat and killed her in 1995 with the help of two teenage accomplices. A group of reporters designated as “media witnesses” sat in another seat. 7:26 good afternoonReporters reported that the black curtains mounted on the large glass windows were pulled open and they saw Parker strapped to a gurney. Prison staff had set up an intravenous line and left the room to begin delivering pentobarbital from another room.
Reporters listened through microphones as Peck spoke her last words – about love – and sang with her Buddhist spiritual guide. They then heard her ask if her arm should be hurting like it was – as if her veins were going to rupture. She raised her head and kicked her legs, knocking a sheet off the gurney. 7:46 good afternoonthe curtain closed. It was opened three minutes later, presumably to allow witnesses to see the effects of the second backup dose. What they saw was a woman who was clearly alive. 8:05 good afternoon…The curtain closed again, but the microphone remained on. The reporters could only hear Parker’s labored breathing and snoring. What time, 8:53 good afternoonthey were finally called away, and they were pretty sure Pike wasn’t dead.
“I can’t stress enough how much of what just happened happened behind the scenes,” Nashville’s Steven Hale banner“, later told a news conference. In the following days, more details came to light. According to Pike’s attorneys, medical staff had trouble getting the IV in and used at least seven needles before the curtain was drawn. One possible theory is that a line was misplaced, or the vein was blown, causing the pentobarbital to warn her of the risks it posed in surrounding tissue. (They also argued that the sexual violence Peck suffered as a child should figure more prominently in her sentencing.)
Lethal injection is the most common method of execution in the United States. However, according to the Associated Press, lethal injection has led to six failed executions since 2009, including one in Tennessee in May of this year. Pike’s case is notable because the execution team continued to inject pentobarbital anyway. The recklessness of the decision will undoubtedly be the focus of an investigation ordered by Tennessee Governor Bill Lee. Lee has postponed other pending executions, but he has not yet said whether the state will try again to kill Pike. Parker was in a coma for several days, then woke up in the hospital confused and in pain. It’s unclear whether she will fully recover. Last week it emerged that even ambulance calls from prison were being mishandled. Pike’s lawyers described what she endured as torture. The unanswerable question is how the night would have ended if no one had been there.