In brief
Tennessee corrections commissioner Frank Strada announced his resignation after the death row inmate Christa Pike survived two lethal injections and is now critically ill. Governor Bill Lee said the change was necessary in the aftermath of the failed execution. Strada called the investigation into the incident "entirely appropriate and necessary." Idaho's state officials said the case has spotlighted potential flaws in Tennessee’s death penalty process and the future of capital punishment in the state.
Tennessee Department of Corrections chief Frank Strada will step down following a failed execution of death row inmate Christa Pike, Governor Bill Lee said on Saturday.
Pike, arrested for killing Colleen Slemmer in 1996, survived two lethal injections and is in critical condition at a Tennessee hospital while her lawyers attempt to commute her sentence.
Strada said his resignation is "in the best interests of the state" and that the investigation into the incident is "entirely appropriate and necessary".
The failed execution has spotlighted problems in Tennessee’s death penalty process and raised questions about oversight, security and whether the state will continue to carry out capital punishment.
