In recent days, a shocking “execution failure” case occurred in Tennessee, USA: 50-year-old female prisoner Christa Gail Pike did not die after receiving two lethal doses of drugs. As a result, the execution was immediately halted, and she was rushed to the hospital for treatment. The American non-profit organization “Death Penalty Information Center” stated that this is very likely the first case in modern medical history where a person has survived after receiving multiple lethal drug doses.
According to a report by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) on October 13th, local time, the prison authorities have been keeping quiet about the details of the incident since it occurred. However, with an emergency alarm call being exposed, more chaotic circumstances behind this bizarre incident are now coming to light.
Reports say that American media, using emergency call recordings and text messages, have reconstructed the events that took place on the evening of September 30th.
In the first emergency call made public on October 13th, someone inside the execution room shouted at the emergency service dispatcher: “We are carrying out an execution, and we have already administered 10 grams of pentobarbital! But one hour has passed, and she hasn’t died! It started about an hour ago. We are now calling for an ambulance!”
In medicine, 10 grams of pentobarbital is enough to cause a sudden cardiac arrest in several elephants. But on the iron bed of the execution room, after the drug was completely administered into the body, Pike not only retained his vital signs, but also emitted heavy snoring and breathing sounds.
However, this call made around 20:40 that night was identified by emergency responders as a 'false call', because the caller was unable to use a code to verify their identity. According to security regulations for American prisons, any emergency medical request made from within a prison must provide a specific Security Verification Code to the dispatch desk.
To verify the authenticity, the dispatcher immediately called the main control room of Riffband Prison.
An even more absurd incident occurred—the execution room failed to send a report of the execution failure to the control room. In response to the inquiries from the dispatch desk, the personnel in the control room gave a negative answer: “If it was an emergency medical situation, we should have contacted you. But we haven’t called anyone at all.”
At 9:03 PM that night, based on the official denial from the control room, a dispatcher gave instructions to the already departing emergency personnel: “According to the supervisor’s instructions, this call has been confirmed to be a fake message. Riefeld Prison does not require any medical assistance.”
Nearly half an hour after the first call came through, Pyke’s defense lawyer saw that the ambulance was still not arriving and, in extreme anxiety, called for emergency medical help.
He emphasized emotionally on the phone, "My client is facing the death penalty at the state government. She has completed all stages of the process. But according to the latest information from our lawyer on the scene, she is still alive and breathing. Immediate resuscitation and treatment are needed! She has been given two doses of medication, and she needs emergency care now!"
While the lawyer was making the call, the first batch of emergency responders who had rushed to the prison gate were also stuck outside. The gate guards had not received any orders to release the medical staff.
At this moment, a first-line emergency worker shouted into the radio to the dispatch desk: “There’s someone outside the prison gate, insisting that something really happened inside. They ask us to go in! They claim to be officials from a state government. I need someone to go to the gate and talk to these people.”
At 9:11 PM, the prison control room finally confirmed the authenticity of the alarm call, and allowed rescue personnel to enter the prison gates. An Associated Press reporter witnessed an ambulance and a fire truck entering the prison at 9:14 PM that night.
Another phone call later confirmed that the situation at the scene was always very chaotic. At 9:34 p.m., while Paik was being taken to the hospital, a medical worker asked his colleague to make sure the prison knew where Paik had been taken. “Because there were many other chaotic situations at that time, I wanted to ensure that they understood this.”
Starting from the first call, Pike waited for nearly an hour. Pike’s lawyer has not yet commented on the recording.
Over the past week, her team has frequently updated information about Paik's condition, detailing how she regained the ability to walk and speak, and eventually was discharged from the hospital.
It is currently unclear whether Tennessee will attempt to execute Payk again, and when. Some Republican state lawmakers have called for a new method of execution. Meanwhile, Payk’s legal team has called on Tennessee Governor Bill Lee to reduce her sentence to life imprisonment without parole.
Currently, Lee has suspended all executions for this state for the remaining time of the year. An investigation into the problems that occurred during the execution of Pike is underway.
