NASHVILLE, TN (WOKI / WVLT) – A new legal battle is developing over Tennessee death row inmate Christa Pike’s failed execution, with state officials seeking to prevent her attorneys from examining the lethal injection drug used during the procedure.
According to court filings, Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti filed a motion on Nov. 6 asking a Davidson County chancellor to modify an earlier court order that would allow Pike’s legal team to inspect and test the remaining drug used during the execution attempt.
The state argues that allowing such testing could reveal the identity of the supplier that provided the lethal injection drug. Tennessee law protects the confidentiality of companies and individuals involved in supplying execution drugs.
In the filing, Skrmetti contends that information contained on the drug’s labeling could potentially identify the supplier, even if Pike’s attorneys are not specifically seeking that information.
Pike’s legal team disputes that claim, arguing their goal is not to uncover the supplier’s identity. Instead, attorneys say they want to determine whether the drug was properly stored, handled and administered, or whether it may have expired prior to the execution attempt.
The dispute stems from Pike’s September execution at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution. Pike survived after being administered two doses of the lethal injection drug, prompting legal challenges and scrutiny over what may have gone wrong during the procedure.
Following the failed execution, a chancellor ordered the state to preserve evidence connected to the case, including the remaining drug used during the attempt.
The latest motion now places before the court a new question: whether Pike’s attorneys will be allowed access to that evidence for independent testing and examination.
The outcome could play a significant role in ongoing litigation surrounding Tennessee’s execution protocols and the circumstances of Pike’s failed execution.
No ruling on the state’s motion has been announced.
