Witnessing the Failed Execution of Christa Pike: ‘We Could All Hear Her Breathing’ By Catherine Sweeney, WPLN Oct. 6, 2026

https://kffhealthnews.org/courts/christa-pike-failed-execution-media-witness-account-lethal-injection-tennessee/?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20First%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_lc5wRrOnRwH4PCvuBOcFwvTRal3oN5yhuTyiAO9LlrapC5XsVbKY1N7r5GL0hri0SyMAD0CT-87fn0pak8AbfVOnsCA&_hsmi=442748877&utm_content=442748877&utm_source=hs_email KFF Health News: Witnessing The Failed Execution Of Christa Pike: 'We Could All Hear Her Breathing' On Sept. 30, I was one of the seven media witnesses who observed Tennessee fail to execute convicted murderer Christa Pike, the first woman to face the death penalty in the state in almost 200 years. From our previous reporting, each of us had an inkling that the lethal injection process might not go according to plan. Pike’s attorneys had asked the Tennessee Supreme Court to allow her to be hanged instead, citing concerns that a platelet disorder and small veins would make the actual injection not only painful but ineffective. (Sweeney, 10/6)