Tennessee prison officials have asked a Davidson County Chancery Court judge to keep the identities of their lethal-injection drug suppliers secret, citing fears of retaliation after the state’s botched execution of death row inmate Christa Pike.
Pike, 50, became the first death row inmate in the country to survive a lethal injection execution after being given two doses of pentobarbital, allegedly administered with at least 10 needles, inside a Nashville prison on Sept. 30.
In a declaration filed Friday, an unidentified Tennessee Department of Corrections employee responsible for procuring pentobarbital said suppliers have grown reluctant to continue working with the state.
“Suppliers have stated that they are concerned about threats, harassment, and boycotts because of their lawful decision to supply state correctional departments with drugs used to carry out lawful executions,” the employee wrote.
The filing came in response to an Oct. 10 order from Chancellor I’Ashea Myles directing state officials to preserve all physical evidence connected to Pike’s execution, including drug vials, needles, and any residual pentobarbital.
According to the TDOC employee, even a label on one of those preserved materials could expose the identity of the state’s supplier. The employee claimed the supplier has “made it clear” it would stop working with TDOC if identified.
“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 wrote. “And 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.”
Chancellor Myles had not ruled on the state’s motion as of Monday. Her original order preserving the evidence was a win for Pike’s legal team, which argued last month that the material would be relevant to any future legal challenge she brings against the state’s execution procedures.
Pike had been set to become the first woman executed in Tennessee in more than 200 years. Following the failed execution, she spent several days hospitalized before being moved to the infirmary at the Debra K. Johnson Rehabilitation Center on Oct. 9. TDOC attorneys wrote in a separate federal court filing that she continues to require “round-the-clock care.”
That federal case, brought by Pike’s lawyers, seeks to have her moved out of the medical ward and back into a specialized, low-security unit with other prisoners. It remained unresolved as of Monday.
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