The Tennessee prison chief has resigned after the botched execution of Christa Pike earlier this week, Gov. Bill Lee (R) said Saturday. After two doses of lethal injection drugs rendered Pike unconscious, Lee had earlier ordered a third-party review and halted all scheduled executions in the state.
Tennessee Department of Correction Commissioner Frank Strada offered his resignation and will step down sometime this month, Lee said in a statement, after the failed execution on Wednesday.
“Commissioner Strada has served with integrity, and I appreciate his willingness to put the interests of Tennesseans first during this difficult moment,” Lee said.
Strada defended his agency’s role, saying he believes the corrections department “carried out its responsibilities in accordance with the established protocol.”
Pike had been sentenced to death for her role in killing Colleen Slemmer in 1995, when both of them were teenagers.
This breaking news story will be updated.
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