One in three Americans support attempting to execute Christa Pike again, according to a new poll.
The Tennessee Department of Correction tried and failed to carry out Pike’s death sentence late last month. She was convicted in the 1995 murder of Colleen Slemmer.
Pike survived two rounds of lethal injection drugs. Her attorneys say that likely happened because the execution team failed to place her IVs properly, and the drugs flowed into her flesh instead of her bloodstream.
Reuters and Ipsos surveyed nearly 1,700 Americans this month. A third of respondents said Tennessee should try again. The rate was much higher among those who identified as Republican — more than half.
The survey also gauged opinions on the death penalty more generally. More than 50% said they support it. Again, support was highest among Republicans. Four out of five favored the death penalty.
Pike’s future is still unclear. Her lawyers want her death sentence commuted. Gov. Bill Lee has offered other death row inmates reprieves into next year, but not Pike.
He gave Tony Carruthers a one-year reprieve after his failed execution attempt in May. And after suspending all scheduled executions for the rest of 2026, Lee gave Gary Wayne Sutton a reprieve until at least October of next year.
Christa Pike’s legal team has another hearing scheduled for this week. The lawyers were already challenging the state’s lethal injection protocol before her failed execution on Sept. 30. They filed a lawsuit in Davidson County back in January. It argues the process is dangerous and illegal. In the wake of the botched lethal injection, the team wants to update their complaint to the court.
Attorneys for the Department of Correction said they don’t oppose a re-write, but they want the court to give a short deadline: Nov. 8. That’s 30 days from when Pike was released from the hospital. Pike’s team said amending the complaint will take months.
The court will decide how much time they have; and the judge will hear from both sides on Friday.
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