Why didn’t Christa Pike die?

A notorious killer convicted of murder more than 30 years ago has finally faced the death penalty – execution by lethal injection. Except Christa Pike didn’t die.

Investigative journalist John North was one of the few people allowed inside a maximum-security facility in Nashville, Tennessee, to witness Pike’s death. What happened next was one of the most extraordinary moments in America’s troubled history with the death penalty.

Speaking to Niall Paterson, John describes in detail how the execution went wrong, why Christa Pike’s violent murder of Colleen Slemmer still resonates three decades later, and the heartbreaking response of her victim’s family.

And as the country prepares for its first public execution in almost a century – with plans to livestream former US Army major Nidal Hasan’s death by firing squad – Niall and John discuss why state-sponsored killing remains such a divisive topic in American society.

Warning: This episode contains graphic details of Christa Pike’s original crime and attempted execution, which some listeners may find distressing.

Have you got a question for Niall? Email us: [email protected]