Driving the news: Pike, convicted of murdering a classmate three decades ago, survived two rounds of lethal drug injections Wednesday in what would have been the state’s first execution of a woman in 200 years.
- In response, Governor Bill Lee halted the executions and ordered a “thorough third-party review” of the failed attempt.
- Pike’s attempted execution followed hours of legal whacking in which courts first stayed the execution before reversing course.
- Pike is still alive as of Thursday afternoon, his attorney said at a news conference, according to the AP. She is receiving “life-saving care” after a failed attempt Wednesday evening that her lawyer said amounted to “torture.”
The big picture: Execution protocols vary by state, but lethal injections generally follow the same basic process.
Here’s what you need to know.
Why States Adopted Lethal Injection
Flashback: Lethal injections emerged after the Supreme Court allowed the return of capital punishment in the 1970s.
- Oklahoma became the first state to allow the practice in 1977. Texas did the first five years later.
- Before lethal injections, states commonly used methods such as electrocution, gassing, hanging, and firing squads. Lawmakers viewed the injections as less violent and less costly.
Lethal injections are now used in all States practicing the death penalty.
- The Supreme Court asks states to reserve the death penalty for the most heinous murders.
Multiple states — Idaho, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Utah — allow firing squads.
- Idaho made firing squad its primary method of execution in July.
How lethal injections are administered
There is none standard procedure. States use different protocols, but the basic process is similar.
- A lethal dose of the drug is administered intravenously while the prisoner is restrained, often on a stretcher.
- Arizona, for example, requires two IV catheters, one as a backup in case the first line fails.
Doctors often do not administer lethal injections, because the American Medical Association’s Code of Medical Ethics states that doctors should not participate in executions.
- States sometimes rely on enforcement teams that may include prison guards, prison employees, and other personnel trained in drug administration.
What drugs are used in lethal injections
How it works: There are two main ways to administer these medications.
- One way for drugs — The state administers a sedative or barbiturate, usually pentobarbital, to cause death.
- Three way drugs — Another method is to administer a sedative or anesthetic, then a paralytic before a final drug stops the heart.
Yes, but: Pentobarbital itself is controversial, with critics questioning whether it actually causes a painless death.
- A Justice Department review under the Biden administration cited concerns that the drug could cause pain and suffering.
- President Trump’s DOJ reauthorized the federal government use of pentobarbital.
Lethal injections don’t always work as expected
Pike’s case is not the first Lethal injection gone wrong. The DPIC says 75 of 1,054 lethal injections (about 7%) were botched between 1890 and 2010 – the highest number of any method.
What they say: Witnesses to some executions described prisoners gasping for air and having difficulty breathing.
- A few prisoners survive the initial attempt but later die from complications or other medical causes, sometimes related to the execution attempt. Others are executed later.
- Autopsies revealed that the prisoner suffered from pulmonary edema, a buildup of fluid in the lungs that can create the same sensation as drowning, according to NPR.
Concrete example: In 2022, Alabama canceled the execution of Kenneth Smith after authorities were unable to insert an IV before his death warrant expired.
- Smith survived but was subsequently executed in 2024 by nitrogen hypoxia, a first in American history.
- In 2014, the execution of Clayton Lockett in Oklahoma went poorly after authorities failed to properly establish an IV. He died almost an hour later.
Go further: America sees increase in executions
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