Defying Pope Leo XIV and Tennessee’s Bishops, Bill Lee Sends Christa Pike to a Botched Execution

Two doses of pentobarbital failed to kill her on Wednesday night, and Michael Knowles answered with a joke about crushing her skull. Twelve days earlier, the governor had called Tennessee to prayer and fasting.

President Donald Trump speaks with Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee after arriving at Berry Field Air National Guard Base in Nashville on March 6, 2020, to tour tornado damage. Lee denied clemency to Christa Pike on Sept. 28, 2026. (Alex Brandon / AP)

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