Christa Pike: What Her Execution Doctor Already Did to Another Inmate

On September 30, Tennessee tried to execute Christa Pike — its first attempt to execute a woman in over two hundred years. The doctor running the procedure had already failed at another execution four months earlier and had told a court under oath that he wasn’t qualified.

Dr. Mark Fowler oversaw the attempted execution of Tony Carruthers on May 21, 2026. The IV team spent over an hour trying to establish the required backup line. Fowler stepped in to place a central line — a catheter deep into a major vein. A witness described his hands shaking. Carruthers’ family says he’s been left partially paralyzed.

In a deposition months before either attempt, Fowler said he hadn’t placed a central line since around 2013. He’d placed roughly a dozen in his career, with one complication. He told attorneys he didn’t know the protocol required him to be able to do it. His understanding of the job: certify the death of the inmate.

On September 30, they sent him in again. Pike’s IV team stuck her at least seven times. One needle came out bent at ninety degrees. She received two full doses of pentobarbital. Her heart kept beating. Her attorneys filed an emergency motion. She’s on a ventilator.

Austin Sarat’s research puts the lethal injection botch rate at 7.12 percent — the highest of any method. Every major medical organization prohibits members from participating. Drug suppliers have blocked their products. States use compounding pharmacies under secrecy laws that prevent verification.

The people most trained to do this are forbidden from doing it. The drugs are unverifiable. And Tennessee keeps ordering reviews while the same gaps remain.

Listen Anywhere You Get Podcasts: https://pod.link/1655749292

Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspod?sub_confirmation=1

Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/

Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod

X Twitter https://x.com/tonybpod

This publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.

#ChristaPike #BotchedExecution #HiddenKillers #LethalInjection #Tennessee #DeathPenalty #TrueCrime #DeathRow #CapitalPunishment #Execution