One week ago, Tennessee tried to carry out the execution of Christa Pike. The execution did not go as planned. Pike survived the lethal injection, making her case an unprecedented moment in the history of capital punishment.
Today, we’re bringing together a death row chaplain, a policy expert from the nonpartisan Death Penalty Information Center, and two journalists who witnessed the execution. We’ll discuss the latest on Pike’s condition and case, as well as the broader legal, ethical and policy questions surrounding the death penalty.
And we want to hear from you. Did what happened to Christa Pike change your perspective on capital punishment — or strengthen your viewpoint? Join the conversation on air at 615-760-2000, or leave a comment in the livestream chat on our WPLN YouTube page.
This episode was produced by Mary Mancini.
Guests:
- Steven Hale, criminal justice reporter, The Nashville Banner; author, Death Row Welcomes You
- Rev. Tim Holton, Tennessee death row chaplain; family of murdered victims & the executed murderer
- Robin Maher, executive director, Death Penalty Information Center
- Catherine Sweeney, reporter, Nashville Public Radio
Further reading:
- What happened during Christa Pike’s failed execution [WPLN]
- Maybe Tennessee doesn’t need a better way to execute people [Tennessean]
- Christa Pike’s influence from Tennessee’s death row [WPLN]
- Attorneys, doctors, nurses and lawmakers asked for a death penalty moratorium before Pike’s failed execution [WPLN]
- Christa Pike’s Imminent Execution Attracts Pleas for Mercy, Demands for Justice, and Lurid Interest [The Nashville Banner]
On Air - 90.3 WPLN-FM