Dispatcher Mistaken Pike’s Execution Call as Prank

2 min read

Emergency dispatchers initially mistook Christa Pike’s botched execution call as a prank, delaying critical medical assistance, according to 911 audio recordings. The incident occurred on September 30, the night of Pike’s scheduled execution, as revealed by dispatchers who initially believed the call was false.

Dispatchers Delayed Response

According to the Associated Press, a dispatcher at 9:03 p.m. stated, “Per supervisors here at the DEC (Department of Emergency Communications) we have been informed it is a false call.” The first 911 call was made at 8:40 p.m., and dispatchers spent about 20 minutes trying to verify the legitimacy of the request.

First responders were initially unable to enter the prison gates because prison officials had not provided them with an entry code. A dispatcher noted, “There’s someone at the front gate telling them that this is real and they need to enter, but they can’t enter without police because we never got codes.” About 30 minutes later, prison officials confirmed the call was genuine, allowing first responders to enter.

Pike Survives Botched Execution

Pike, 50, was hospitalized after surviving two doses of pentobarbital, the drug used in lethal injections that typically results in death within 15 to 30 minutes. After receiving care, she was discharged from the hospital and returned to the Debra K. Johnson Rehabilitation Center in Nashville, Tennessee.

“She is grateful to the first responders and her medical team for their care in these extraordinary circumstances. She is continuing to receive medical care at the prison, and we will continue to track her recovery,” her attorneys said in a statement.

Background on Pike’s Crime

Pike was sentenced to death for the 1995 murder of her fellow Knoxville Job Corps Center student, Colleen Slemmer. Pike suspected Slemmer was romantically interested in her boyfriend, Tadaryl Shipp. Pike, Shipp, and their friend Shadolla Peterson lured Slemmer to a secluded area, where she was tortured for over 30 minutes and beaten to death with a chunk of asphalt.

Execution Delayed

Pike’s execution was initially halted one hour before it was scheduled after a divided 6th Circuit panel issued a temporary stay to review claims that the jury that sentenced Pike had not heard about Pike’s childhood sexual abuse. Pike’s attorneys presented evidence that she was assaulted beginning when she was just 2 years old. They also said that at 11, she was raped by a neighbor and then again by her mother’s live-in boyfriend.

State Halts Executions

After Pike’s execution, Tennessee Republican Governor Bill Lee paused all executions in the state through the end of the year and ordered an investigation into the failed execution.

Source: Daily Wire

Written by

Connor Davis