MAGA Governor Finally Calls Off Botched Female Execution

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has paused executions for the remainder of 2026 after an attempt to carry out a death sentence on Christa Pike went wrong. Pike, 50, convicted for the 1995 murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer in Knoxville, survived two rounds of lethal injections and was reportedly still breathing nearly an hour later. Lee ordered a “comprehensive, third-party review” to determine what occurred and said scheduled state killings would not take place this year. The Tennessee Supreme Court denied a motion to stay last week, and the U.S. Supreme Court rejected her appeal Tuesday; a separate federal stay was overturned Wednesday. The state has faced a second failed execution this year involving Tony Carruthers.