Lee says Pike’s sentence stands unless courts intervene

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee said he expects Christa Pike’s death sentence to remain in place unless a court rules otherwise, after she survived the state’s Sept. 30 lethal-injection attempt. Pike’s attorneys have asked Lee to commute her sentence to life without parole. Lee said Pike remains incarcerated under Tennessee law. His comments do not determine whether another execution attempt can proceed; a court ruling could affect the sentence, and the state is reviewing what happened during the failed attempt. After Pike’s execution attempt, Lee halted Tennessee’s remaining executions for the year and ordered a review. The state will not attempt another execution this year, according to reports of the governor’s announcement. No findings from the review were reported. Pike, now 50, was hospitalized after receiving two doses of pentobarbital. She was unconscious for several days, later regained consciousness and was discharged before returning to prison. Her attorneys have said she can walk and speak in full sentences. Pike’s lawyers allege execution staff struggled to establish intravenous access, used about 10 needles and questioned whether the drug entered her bloodstream as...