'Accidents happen': What Supreme Court has said about survivors of botched executions
Summary
Christa Pike survived a failed lethal injection attempt in Tennessee, and her lawyers argue a second attempt would be unconstitutional under the 8th Amendment against cruel and unusual punishment. Tennessee’s Governor Bill Lee says the state will continue with the death penalty as sentenced. A similar case in 1947 involved Willie Francis, who survived an electric chair execution but the Supreme Court allowed a second attempt.Key Facts
- Christa Pike, 50, survived a botched lethal injection in Tennessee and is conscious and speaking.
- Her lawyers say a second execution attempt would violate the 8th Amendment’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment.
- Tennessee Governor Bill Lee supports carrying out the death penalty as decided by juries.
- Pike may face a "long recovery" and a possible second execution attempt.
- The case is unprecedented because Pike is the first known person to survive pentobarbital lethal injection.
- In 1947, Willie Francis survived a failed electric chair execution in Louisiana and challenged a second attempt.
- The 1947 Supreme Court ruling (5-4) rejected Francis’ arguments that a second execution would violate his constitutional rights.
- Legal experts say Pike’s case raises similar constitutional questions about due process and punishment under the 8th Amendment.
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