The Tennessee Department of Correction carried out the execution at 7:27 p.m. on Oct. 20, 2023, with a 50‑minute protocol that required two rounds of pentobarbital. The first dose, administered at 7:30 p.m., left Pike breathing and snoring for more than an hour, a clear sign she was still alive. At 7:41 p.m., a weight was placed on the ledge beside the gurney as officials began a five‑minute countdown, yet the curtain remained open until 7:46 p.m. When the second dose was finally given, Pike’s arm still hurt, and she asked an official if the pain was normal.
Pike’s attorney, Randy Spivey, entered the witness room at 8:22 p.m. demanding access to a telephone to coordinate medical care. By 8:50 p.m., an ambulance was reported to be on the way, and the next hour saw Pike’s breathing continue, the curtain closing and reopening twice as officials tried to administer a second injection. Fire trucks and emergency units arrived at 9:14 p.m., and her lawyers confirmed she was transported to a hospital in critical condition.
Governor Bill Lee called the event "deeply disturbing" and ordered an immediate review of Tennessee’s lethal‑injection protocol. The review will examine why the pentobarbital failed and whether procedural safeguards need tightening. A scheduled execution for the end of the year has been postponed, and the department said it would not allow any further attempts until the investigation concludes.
The failure has reignited anger among the victims’ families. May Martinez, mother of 19‑year‑old Colleen Slemmer, traveled to Nashville to witness the sentence and said she could see her daughter’s body move as she was still alive. She demands justice, urging state officials to halt executions until the method is proven reliable. The incident underscores a growing national debate over the ethics and efficacy of capital punishment in the United States.