Tennessee seeks to block analysis of drug from failed execution

Tennessee filed a court request on Friday to stop Christa Pike’s attorneys from testing pentobarbital vials remaining from her failed execution in September.

The state asked Judge I’Ashea L. Myles to revoke permission for the legal team to inspect and collect the drugs, challenging an earlier evidence preservation order.

State officials stated in the filing that they were following existing preservation rules. Tennessee law prohibits public disclosure of the individuals or entities that supply lethal substances or carry out executions.

An unnamed Department of Correction employee submitted an affidavit claiming that handling the vials or reading their labels could identify the supplier, even if specific details were redacted.

The employee noted that another provider ceased communication with the department in 2024 after its identity became public. The affidavit argued that losing the current supplier would likely leave the state without a new source.

Pike, 50, received two doses of the drug during the attempted execution. Her lawyers argue the medication likely pooled in her arms instead of entering her bloodstream, causing burns and blisters.

In a filing last month, her attorneys stated that her veins might have ruptured before injections. They said the execution team used about 10 needles while attempting to find IV sites in both of her arms.

Attorney Luke Ihnen said exposing the supplier has never been the goal of the lawsuit. He explained that reviewing labels and storage conditions could reveal if the drug expired or if issues occurred during mixing, transportation, or handling.

Ihen said the team still does not know exactly what happened that night. Department spokesperson Dorinda Carter declined to comment because the litigation is pending.

Pike’s lawyers reported that she suffered from pneumonia and a blood clot after the attempt. They said she could not swallow or move her arms and hands when she regained consciousness in a Tennessee hospital.

Pike has since returned to prison, where she describes continuing physical pain, difficulty speaking, and psychological distress.

Pike was sentenced to death in 1995 for the torture and stabbing of Colleen Slemmer, a 19-year-old classmate. Pike was 18 at the time, making her one of the youngest women sentenced to death. Slemmer’s mother traveled from Florida to witness the execution in September 2026.