New: Tennessee Prison Chief Resigns After Failed Execution of Pike

Someone's name is always on the blame line for any mishap, and the worse the mishap, the higher up the name on the blame line goes. In the case of the botched execution of convicted murderer Christa Pike in Tennessee, that name was right at the top; Frank Strada, Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Corrections, has now resigned his post in the wake of the attempt to carry out Pike's death sentence.

Tennessee’s embattled prison chief, Frank Strada, said he will step down after overseeing the botched execution of Christa Pike, Gov. Bill Lee said on Saturday.

Mr. Strada is expected to leave later this month. His departure will come after he oversaw Tennessee’s second failed attempt at lethal injection this year and amid bipartisan calls for his resignation. All remaining executions have been paused.

In a statement released by the governor’s office, Mr. Strada maintained that his agency had “carried out its responsibilities in accordance with the established protocol.” As of Thursday evening, Ms. Pike was unconscious and on a ventilator, with injuries on both her arms as a result of the failed execution on Wednesday, her lawyers said in court filings.

It seems something of an irony that medical personnel are now struggling to keep Christa Pike alive, but that's how the system works; furthermore, assuming she recovers, it's not at all unlikely that her death sentence will now be commuted.

At least one high-profile Tennessee Republican has already weighed in on Commissioner Strada taking the responsibility for this event: Senator Marsha Blackburn (R).

Several Tennessee Republicans, including Senator Marsha Blackburn, the party’s candidate for governor, had said that Mr. Strada should step down or be replaced when Mr. Lee’s term-limited tenure ends in the coming months. Mr. Lee had previously sidestepped a question about Mr. Strada’s tenure after the execution, echoing Mr. Strada’s defense of how the agency handled the lethal injection protocol.

“So far as we know, the Department of Correction followed exactly the protocol that was outlined and vetted and approved by the attorney general’s office,” Mr. Lee said on Thursday.

Two days later, however, he announced Mr. Strada had resigned.

This was inevitable; someone had to be called to account for this. 

As of this writing, there hasn't been a replacement named for the post of Commissioner. What also hasn't yet been announced is a review into Tennessee's death penalty process: namely, the use of a lethal injection, as was attempted here, or perhaps some other, more reliable means. It's a fair bet that some such evaluation will be forthcoming.

The death penalty has been a hotly debated issue in recent years. The Constitution allows for it; the Fifth Amendment states in part, "nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law," implying that one can be deprived of life with due process of law, as was the case here. But there are other arguments, around techniques, which this case is sure to bring out again, and around the process, with appeals lasting decades, bringing up the question as to whether the taxpayers would be better served by simply locking people up for life without possibility of parole and having done with it.

Now, we can expect to see a renewed round of debate; but in this case, it seems, someone has stepped up and taken responsibility. 

Editor’s Note: The American people overwhelmingly support President Trump’s law and order agenda.

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