Texas man executed by lethal injection; first US execution since botched Christa Pike execution

A 46-year-old Texas man was executed by lethal injection on Wednesday (Oct 7), marking the first execution in the United States since the botched execution of Tennessee death-row inmate Christa Pike a week earlier. The man, identified as Jamaal Howard, was executed in Texas after being sentenced to death for killing a store clerk during a robbery in 2000. His execution was the 30th carried out in the United States this year.

The execution comes amid renewed scrutiny of lethal injection protocols following Pike's failed execution in Tennessee, which has prompted the state to temporarily halt further executions while officials review its procedures.

Christa Pike's botched execution

Pike, 50, was scheduled to be executed in Tennessee on September 30 for the 1995 murder of her classmate Colleen Slemmer.
She received two doses of pentobarbital during the lethal injection, but witnesses said she remained conscious for longer than expected. She was later heard loudly snoring before being taken by ambulance to a hospital.

Her case has drawn particular attention because it was not simply a matter of difficulty establishing intravenous access. Pike was administered the execution drug but did not die as expected.

Lawyers question medical care

Pike's legal team has also raised questions about what happened after the execution went wrong. In a filing with a federal appeals court, her lawyers said state attorneys argued that the Tennessee Department of Corrections had “no obligation to render life-saving care” after the execution attempt.

The department has rejected claims that officials deviated from procedure, saying it “followed every step of the state's lawful, established execution protocol.”
Pike's lawyers had sought to stop the execution before it took place, citing her age when she committed the crime, mental health issues, childhood sexual abuse and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Tennessee halts executions

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, who had previously rejected Pike's clemency request, has ordered a halt to further executions in the state through the end of the year while officials conduct a review.
Pike's execution was the second lethal-injection attempt in Tennessee to fail this year.

In May, officials halted the execution of Tony Carruthers after medical staff were unable to establish an intravenous line.
Pike's lawyer, Randy Spivey, has called for her death sentence to be commuted, arguing that she had endured extraordinary punishment as a result of the failed execution.