Doctor Knew Christa Pike Execution Would Fail: "She Entered as a Prisoner and Left as a Patient"

Before Christa Pike's execution attempt on September 30, 2026, a physician told a Tennessee court the procedure was likely to fail.

Unpersuaded, the court moved forward with her execution -- only for their worst-case scenario to become a reality.

Pike survived the two doses of pentobarbital meant to end her life and was rushed to the hospital where the extent of the adverse effects to her body is still uncertain.  Now, there’s a newly-released 911 call from after the failed execution that seems to establish a pattern of chaos from inside The Debra K. Johnson Rehabilitation Center on the night of Pike’s failed execution.

In this episode of Criminally Obsessed, investigative reporter Anne Emerson speaks with Dr. Joel Zivot, a critical care physician and anesthesiologist who reviewed Pike's medical records as an expert for her defense. He explains the three warning signs that led him to write in his report that the execution was very likely to fail: Pike's documented history of difficult IV access, a mild blood-clotting condition, and Tennessee's recent failed attempt to execute Tony Carruthers. Dr. Zivot also educates us on the medical science behind why IV lines could have failed and how the pentobarbital that never reached her bloodstream could cause severe chemical burns to her arms. 

Having examined more than 200 autopsies of executed prisoners, Dr. Zivot explains why he believes lethal injection is cruel by design, why he says executions "always fail" even when they appear to succeed, and why he thinks the secrecy surrounding the process makes it impossible to fix.

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