Tennessee pauses 2026 executions after botched Christa Pike injection
World
Tennessee's governor just paused all executions for 2026 after a recent attempt went wrong.
Christa Pike, sentenced to death for the January 1995 killing of Colleen Slemmer, was still awake and snoring about 40 minutes after two doses of the lethal drug, which has sparked big questions about how the state handles executions.
Now, Gov. Bill Lee has ordered an independent review to figure out what went wrong.
Pause delays Gary Wayne Sutton execution
This pause is a big deal: Pike would have been the first woman executed in Tennessee in over two centuries.
The suspension also pushes back Gary Wayne Sutton's execution, which was set for December.
Gov. Lee says it's crucial that any execution follows the law and is effective.