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The head of Tennessee’s Department of Correction, Frank Strada, has announced his resignation after a failed attempt to execute convicted murderer Christa Pike by lethal injection.
Pike, 50, was scheduled to be executed on Wednesday at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville.
However, she survived after receiving two doses of the lethal injection and was later taken to hospital in critical condition.
Strada said he believes prison officials followed the proper protocol but decided to step down this month to allow an independent investigation into the incident to proceed without interference.
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has ordered an independent review and suspended executions in the state for the remainder of 2026.
The incident was the state’s second failed execution attempt this year.
Pike’s lawyers have alleged that prison officials ignored prior warnings about her small veins and a blood disorder that could make intravenous access difficult.
They have called for a full investigation into what they described as systemic failures in the state’s execution process.