In a filing with the Davidson County Chancery Court, the Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC) asked a judge to keep the identity of its lethal‑injection drug supplier confidential. The request comes after a botched execution attempt on September 30 left death‑row inmate Christa Pike alive.
Background on the failed execution
Christa Pike, convicted of murdering 19‑year‑old classmate Colleen Slemmer in Knoxville, was scheduled for execution after the Supreme Court lifted a last‑minute stay. During the execution, two doses of the drug pentobarbital were administered, but the inmate did not die, making her the first woman in more than two centuries to survive an execution attempt in Tennessee.
State’s concern over supplier retaliation
According to a motion filed on Friday, a TDOC employee responsible for procuring the pentobarbital warned that suppliers have become “skittish” because of threats, harassment and boycotts tied to their lawful decision to provide drugs for state‑authorized executions. The employee wrote that the unnamed vendor has made it clear it will sever ties with the state if its involvement is exposed.
“If counsel or experts for Plaintiffs [Pike] are allowed to view the labels on any vials of pentobarbital or handle the vials, TDOC would likely lose access to pentobarbital and thus be unable to carry out executions using it,” the employee stated. “In my experience, if that were to happen, it is unlikely Tennessee would be in a position to find another supplier willing to provide pentobarbital for carrying out executions.”
Potential impact on Tennessee’s death‑penalty program
The filing follows an October 10 order from Chancellor I’Ashea Myles requiring the state to preserve all physical evidence from the botched execution, including needles, drug vials and any “residual pentobarbital.” Officials fear that a court‑ordered disclosure of the supplier’s label could trigger the loss of the drug, effectively halting future executions in the state.
TDOC has not commented further on the matter, and Chancellor Myles has not yet ruled on the motion.
Related legal actions
Separately, a federal request filed in late October asked a court to keep Pike from being returned to her housing block, citing concerns for her safety. The motion described the pod where she resides as housing inmates with “significant histories of assaults and disciplinary problems,” and noted that the filing author had witnessed multiple assaults and acute psychological breakdowns among inmates.
Fox News Digital’s Michael Ruiz and Louis Casiano contributed to this report.
Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
