Tennessee prison system head to resign after failed Christa Pike execution

Updated on: October 3, 2026 / 12:04 PM EDT / CBS News

The head of Tennessee's prison system is set to resign after the botched execution of Christa Pike earlier this week, Gov. Bill Lee announced Saturday.

Lee said that Tennessee Department of Correction Commissioner Frank Strada will step down this month, but did not offer any other specifics.

Strada said in a statement that he believes "the Department carried out its responsibilities in accordance with the established protocol," but that "stepping aside is in the best interest" of the state's residents as an independent review ordered by Lee begins.

"I believe this review is entirely appropriate and necessary, and I look forward to doing everything I can to help determine exactly what occurred," Strada said.

Pike's attorneys said in a statement Saturday that Strada's resignation is "justified, but it does nothing to help Christa now."

Pike was set to be executed by lethal injection on Wednesday, but the process failed twice. Pike's attorneys said Friday that she is unconscious and intubated in a Nashville-area hospital. She is using a ventilator to breathe and has significant injuries to both arms, her attorneys said. Hospital staff is working to clear the…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/entertainment/