Tennessee Execution Team Struggled With IV Lines Before Christa Pike Survived Two Pentobarbital Doses A court filing says execution team members went through about 10 needles and tried several IV sites on both of Christa Pike's arms before her attempted execution on Sept. 30. Pike survived two doses of pentobarbital and later returned to prison. Tennessee execution team members failed multiple times to establish working IV lines in Christa Pike's arms before her attempted execution, warning that some of her veins may have ruptured, or blown, before she was injected with pentobarbital, her attorney wrote in a court document filed Thursday. The IV team went through about 10 needles and tried several IV sites on both arms, attorney Randy Spivey wrote in the document. They even struggled to push saline through the last IV site they established, Spivey wrote. Pike, 50, was hospitalized after surviving two doses of pentobarbital as the state tried to execute her on Sept. 30 for the 1995 stabbing death of classmate Colleen Slemmer.She was 18 when she tortured and killed Slemmer with her boyfriend, becoming one of the youngest women to be sentenced to death. State protocol calls for a second dose of pentobarbital if the first does not result in death, but it does not spell out what to do if a person survives the second injection. After being taken to a hospital, Pike was on a ventilator for several days.Legal Questions Following Failed ExecutionAt one point, her attorneys did not expect her to survive. She ultimately regained consciousness and returned to prison after being discharged. Lawyer T. Scott Jones has explained what happens next legally for Christa Pike, including whether she could sue and whether the state can still try to execute her. The failed execution has brought renewed scrutiny to how Tennessee carries out death sentences.Emergency vehicles were seen leaving Riverbend Maximum Security Institution after the execution of Christa Pike was halted on Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026, in Nashville, Tenn. A composite photo of Christa Pike was provided by the Tennessee Department of Correction from Jan. 12, 2023. The case began with the 1995 stabbing death of Colleen Slemmer.Pike was 18 at the time she tortured and killed her classmate with her boyfriend, a crime that led to her death sentence and made her one of the youngest women ever sentenced to death in the United States. The court filing from Spivey details the difficulties the execution team encountered. About 10 needles were used, and multiple IV sites were tried on both of Pike's arms.The team warned that some veins may have blown, or ruptured, before the pentobarbital injection. Even at the last IV site the team established, pushing saline through proved difficult, according to the filing. That account has drawn attention to the state's execution procedures and training. Pike survived the first dose of pentobarbital, then received a second dose under state protocol.State Protocol Gaps In Second DoseThe protocol does not specify what should happen if an inmate survives the second injection. After the attempted execution, Pike was taken to a hospital and placed on a ventilator for several days. At one point, her attorneys did not expect her to live. She eventually regained consciousness and was discharged from the hospital, then returned to prison.The failed execution has renewed scrutiny of Tennessee's death penalty process. Lawyer T. Scott Jones has addressed the legal questions that follow. Those include whether Pike could sue over the failed execution and whether the state can still attempt to execute her again. The Tennessee Department of Correction has not commented on the specific details in the court filing.The document was filed Thursday by Pike's attorney, Randy Spivey. The filing describes an execution process that repeatedly failed to establish reliable IV access. Team members went through about 10 needles and tried several sites on both arms before injecting pentobarbital. They also warned that some veins may have blown before the injection.Pike, now 50, was sentenced to death for the 1995 killing of Colleen Slemmer. She was 18 when she and her boyfriend tortured and killed Slemmer. The case made her one of the youngest women to be sentenced to death. The Sept. 30 execution attempt ended with Pike surviving two doses of pentobarbital and being hospitalized.Pike Regains Consciousness And Returns To PrisonState protocol calls for a second dose of pentobarbital if the first does not result in death. It does not address what to do if a person survives the second injection. Pike was on a ventilator for several days after being taken to the hospital. Her attorneys did not expect her to survive at one point.She ultimately regained consciousness and returned to prison after being discharged. The failed execution has brought renewed scrutiny to how Tennessee carries out death sentences. Lawyer T. Scott Jones has explained the next legal steps for Pike, including whether she could sue and whether the state can still try to execute her. Emergency vehicles left Riverbend Maximum Security Institution after the execution was halted on Sept. 30, 2026, in Nashville, Tenn.Pike's composite photo was provided by the Tennessee Department of Correction from Jan. 12, 2023.