Tennessee prisons chief resigns after botched Christa Pike execution

The head of the Tennessee Department of Correction, Frank Strada, has submitted his resignation following a failed execution, according to reports by The Hill and the BBC. Governor Bill Lee announced on Saturday that Frank Strada will step down later in October, as reported by The Guardian. [1][2][4]

The resignation follows the botched execution attempt of death row inmate Christa Pike on Wednesday, as the BBC and France 24 reported. According to the BBC and France 24, Christa Pike remains in critical condition after surviving two lethal injections. Attorneys for Christa Pike stated that she is unconscious and on a ventilator at a hospital in Nashville, AP News reported. [2][3][8]

Governor Bill Lee suspended all further executions in the state through the rest of the year while an independent investigation takes place, France 24 and The Guardian reported. In a statement reported by the BBC, Frank Strada said that his departure is in the best interests of the state and called the inquiry necessary. As FTMQ News reported earlier, Christa Pike was sentenced to death in 1996 for the 1995 murder of Colleen Slemmer in Knoxville. [2][3][4][10][13][14]