Christa Pike still alive, ‘snoring’ after 2 lethal injections as chaos envelops Tennessee execution: lawyer

By New York Post (U.S.) | Created at 2026-10-01 03:02:02 | Updated at 2026-10-01 03:38:43 43 minutes ago

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Tennessee’s first woman to be executed in over 200 years is still alive after receiving two doses of a lethal injection — as her attorneys race to file an emergency stay.

Christa Pike, 50, was strapped to a gurney in the Nashville death chamber just before 7:30 p.m. CDT after the US Supreme Court overruled her stay of execution an hour earlier, The Tennessean reported.

Death row inmate Christa Pike is shown in this 2023 Tennessee Department of Correction booking photograph. via REUTERS

Witnesses on site to watch the historic execution take place recalled Pike speaking in full sentences as she was set to be put to death.

“My arm feels like it’s about to bust. One spot is really throbbing,” WKRN reporter Tori Gessner heard Pike say.

Emergency vehicles arrive at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution after the execution of Christa Pike was halted Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026, in Nashville, Tenn. AP Photo/George Walker IV

In this image from video provided by WBIR-TV, Christa Pike cries after being sentenced to death on March 30, 1996 in Knoxville, Tenn. WBIR-TV via AP

Pike was injected with two syringes of the lethal drug, pentobarbital but remained alive — prompting her attorneys to quickly file an emergency stay in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee.

“Ms. Pike has not lost consciousness and still has a heartbeat and is audibly snoring,” the attorneys wrote.

This is a breaking story. Please check back for updates.

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