Tennessee is attempting to block Christa Pike’s attorneys from examining the pentobarbital used in her failed September execution, citing supplier confidentiality concerns.
- Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti filed a motion on November 6 to modify an earlier evidence preservation order.
- The state argues that inspection labels could expose the identity of the confidential drug supplier.
- Pike’s legal team contends they only want to check storage, handling, and expiration dates.
A fresh legal battle is unfolding in Nashville over Christa Pike’s failed execution, WSMV reported. The state of Tennessee is moving to keep her attorneys from examining the lethal drug used during the procedure.
On November 6, Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti filed a motion asking a Davidson County chancellor to stop the defense team from getting access to the remaining substance. Skrmetti argues that even the labels on the drug contain information that could reveal its supplier, and that identity is protected under state law.
Pike survived two doses of pentobarbital at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution on September 30. This followed a last-minute stay attempt that the United States Supreme Court later reversed.
A chancellor had previously ordered the state to preserve evidence from the failed execution procedure. Now the core question is whether Pike’s attorneys will be permitted to inspect that remaining supply.
Pike’s attorneys contend that they are not trying to identify the supplier. Instead, they want to find out if the drug was stored properly, handled correctly, or if it had expired.
| Date | Event | Location |
|---|---|---|
| September 30 | Failed execution involving two doses of pentobarbital | Riverbend Maximum Security Institution |
| October 9 | Return to prison following hospitalisation | Prison Infirmary |
| November 6 | State files motion to deny access to drug evidence | Davidson County court |
Following the failed lethal injection, Pike was hospitalized and returned to prison on October 9. She remains confined to the institution’s infirmary.
Pike has requested a move back to her previous confinement arrangements before the failed execution took place. The Davidson County chancellor will either grant Skrmetti’s request to revise the previously approved preservation of evidence order, or deny his motion.
“The Davidson County chancellor will either grant Skrmetti’s request to revise the previously approved preservation of evidence order, or deny his motion,” WSMV reported.
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