Emergency Calls Reveal Confusion, Delays After Christa Pike's Botched Execution

Newly released emergency calls reveal confusion and delays in getting medical assistance for Christa Pike after her failed execution on September 30.

Minutes passed as officials and first responders attempted to confirm the emergency request from Riverbend Prison was legitimate. The first 911 call came in at 8:40 p.m. CT, but dispatchers initially thought it was a prank call, with one dispatcher stating at 9:03 p.m. First responders were delayed outside the prison gates because officials had not provided an entry code.

Approximately 30 minutes later, prison officials finally affirmed the call was real, allowing entry. One of Pike's attorneys, Kelly Gleason, called 911 at 9:08 p.m. CT, requesting immediate life-saving care. Christa Pike, 50, was sentenced to death for the 1995 murder of Colleen Slemmer. She survived two injections of pentobarbital, a drug that typically results in death within 15 to 30 minutes.

Pike was taken to a hospital in critical condition and later discharged, returning to the Debra K. Johnson Rehabilitation Center in Nashville, Tennessee. Her attorneys stated she is grateful to the first responders and her medical team, and she continues to receive medical care at the prison. Whether Tennessee will attempt to execute Christa Pike again remains an open question, with her attorneys beginning a legal battle to prevent a second attempt. Tennessee Governor Bill Lee postponed executions while an official investigation is underway, and some Lee Administration officials reportedly oppose another execution.