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The Daily

A Failed Execution and the Future of the Death Penalty

Tennessee paused executions after Christa Pike survived two doses of a lethal injection.
Duration
34m
Broadcast on
08 Oct 2026
Audio Format
other

Christa Pike survived two doses of a lethal injection drug last week during a botched execution in Tennessee.

Pamela Colloff, who writes for The New York Times Magazine, discusses the waning public support for the death penalty and why despite it some states are doubling down.

Guest: Pamela Colloff, a reporter at ProPublica and a staff writer at The New York Times Magazine.

Background reading: 

  • Pamela Colloff, a reporter at ProPublica and a staff writer at The New York Times Magazine.

Photo: George Walker IV/Associated Press

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This podcast is supported by BetterHelp. BetterHelp is a leading online therapy service, and now insurance options may be available nationwide with average co-pays of just $23 per session for eligible members. BetterHelp works with more than 125 health plans, making it easy to get started with low-cost sessions. Don't have eligible insurance? Get 10% off your first month at betterhelp.com/NewYorkTimes. Learn more about how therapy can give you tools to keep stress from building. BetterHelp.com/NewYorkTimes. Cost and coverage may vary. Discount cannot be combined with insurance. From The New York Times, I'm Rachel Abrams, and this is The Daily. I run through this execution every day in the hot, especially with the day coming closer. Last week, a Tennessee woman named Krista Pike was set to be executed by lethal injection. The concerns I have on our lethal injection method are simply that I do not have good things. In the days leading up to her planned execution, Pike told my colleague Emily Cochran about her fears of the state's ability to kill her without complication. The drug supposedly burns very fast. I use the work dry now. The hands, the thought of suffocating and drowning on my own bodily fluid and blood. That sounds scary to me. In the end, Pike survived two doses of a lethal injection drug and regained consciousness in a Nashville hospital where her condition remains severe. And on top of that, this was Tennessee's second botched execution in just a few months, and has led the governor to pause executions for the remainder of the year. Today, Pamela Coloff talks about the waning public support for the death penalty and why, despite it, some states are still doubling down. It's Thursday, October 8. Pam Coloff, welcome to The Daily. Thank you so much for having me. So Pam, I think a lot of people have been really stunned by the Krista Pike case. And Krista Pike, of course, is this woman who confessed to and was convicted of a really gruesome murder back in the '90s. But that obviously is not what people are talking about

Transcription truncated.

Tennessee paused executions after Christa Pike survived two doses of a lethal injection.