Oct. 5, 2026
NEW: Prison Chief Resigns After Christa Pike Debacle, And With A History Of Botched Executions
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RSS Feed As Christa Pike remains hospitalized, unconscious, on a ventilator in critical condition after a failed execution attempt, the man in charge of Tennessee prisons has announced his resignation. Governor Bill Lee did not directly reference the situation with Pike, or with this spring’s botched execution of Tony Carruthers, but said Department of Correction Commissioner Frank Strada stepping aside is "in the best interest of Tennesseans as the independent review moves forward." Strada was most recently the Deputy Director of the Arizona Department of Corrections where he last oversaw three troubled lethal injections that all involved personnel not being able to find the inmates’ veins.
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00:00:02
Speaker 1: Hey there, folks. It is Monday, October 4th, and here we are several days after a botched execution in Tennessee. The death row inmate is still alive. The prison chief is out of a job. And with that, welcome to this episode of Amy and TJ. I guess Roe was the first head to roll. Will this be it? Will this be enough? The head of the prison system there in Tennessee is resigning, and that should be it.
00:00:28
Speaker 2: I doubt it.
00:00:29
Speaker 3: If I had to just predict what's coming next, yes, Tennessee Correction Commissioner Frank Strada might be the first head to roll, but I hardly, I mean, I just have a hard time believing he'd be the only head to roll. Obviously, there is going to be some finger pointing. Investigations are ongoing, and I would imagine changes will be taking place as well.
00:00:53
Speaker 1: Yeah, changes. Well, he's only been in that job a few years. And Robes, it was pretty remarkable to see what his previous experience had been in executions and the results of those executions. You ain't going to believe it when we tell you that's coming up in a second. But Robes, even in Tennessee, he's only been there a couple of years and two executions this year had to be stopped. He's the guy in charge. Yes.
00:01:19
Speaker 3: I mean.
00:01:20
Speaker 2: And they had to be stopped.
00:01:21
Speaker 3: Well. For similar reasons, or at least it didn't, the outcome wasn't what was anticipated, which of course was death, cruel and unusual executions. Neither took place, both of them involving lethal injections. So yes, you would think if those were the only two issues on his resume, that would certainly potentially even be enough for him to be removed.
00:01:44
Speaker 2: But when you take a look at his history....
00:01:47
Speaker 3: It's incredibly puzzling to see how he's actually gotten as far as he has in the position he's in.
00:01:53
Speaker 1: Well, here we are on this Monday morning. As of this recording, we'll get you caught up here about Krista Pike, who had an execution scheduled for, and quite frankly, the execution went forward. Just the result was not what they expected. Krista Pike is still alive. Robes, it's hard to get a good handle on this, but it seems like we're only getting it from her lawyers, who don't seem to be clear either. Not exactly sure why. what her condition is and what her prognosis is going to be.
00:02:18
Speaker 3: Yes, from her attorneys, what we've heard is that she's unconscious, that she's on a ventilator, so she's not breathing on her own. They say that her arms are swollen and burned and absolutely were severely damaged in the attempt to execute her. They also claim that they don't know if she'll ever wake up, if she'll ever be conscious again. They say her prognosis is unknown at this time and we won't get a better idea of it most likely until a few days from now. If she does regain consciousness, yes, there are questions about what her level of competency will be because they believe her brain was deprived of oxygen for long enough that it is absolutely unknown what may happen next.
00:03:07
Speaker 1: What did they do to this woman? What did they do to this woman in an attempt to kill her? She got a worse fate. I mean, this is strange stuff. So, yes, the state of Tennessee is fighting as we speak to save her life. A woman that a few days ago they were sure they wanted to kill. That execution was one that would be deemed historic. It's been 200 years since they executed a woman in the state of Tennessee, and it's just a rarity in the country. So it was a big deal. to see what we were seeing last night. And now it's even a bigger deal to see what we're seeing and see what happens with the debate over the death penalty in this country. Robes, they seem to have, I mean, this is kind of a consensus now. Like, how does she survive? Robes, it's not a matter of she's got superhuman blood or strength or anything else. Robes, they screwed up. Yes.
00:03:56
Speaker 3: It's pretty much every doctor who has weighed in on this And it makes total sense. It appears that the IV was either placed incorrectly or that when the lethal doses, when the drug went.
00:04:10
Speaker 2: Into her vein burst, which can happen.
00:04:12
Speaker 3: So you have to readjust and re put the IV back into a new vein.
00:04:18
Speaker 2: If you've got a blown vein, none of that was apparently done.
00:04:21
Speaker 3: So they believe regardless, there was operator error here that the IV was either initially placed in incorrectly or or wasn't readjusted to make up for an issue that occurred while the drug was going in. But it basically went into her body tissue, into her arm tissue, into her bloodstream, which means that the doses that went into her arm tissue didn't take full effect. And so it didn't kill her, but it knocked her unconscious, and it deprived her brain of oxygen.
00:04:49
Speaker 1: That's crazy, Robes. The stuff is supposed to go into your bloodstream, and they say instead it goes into her body. What damage is that done? But it goes in line with, because it was bizarre, at least for me, for a layperson to hear the reports out of the death chamber that she complained about her arm burning. That makes perfect sense now, they say.
00:05:09
Speaker 2: Absolutely.
00:05:10
Speaker 3: They said this would be exceptionally painful for someone to go through. And I guess, according to her attorneys, the condition of her arms speak volumes at this point. Because yes, if that penobarbitrol goes straight into your bloodstream, the idea is that it will stop your heart. if it doesn't go into your bloodstream, that doesn't.
00:05:28
Speaker 2: Take effect in the way it's supposed to.
00:05:30
Speaker 1: And that's crazy. They use a one dose deal there in Tennessee. You have other states, roads that use a three drug cocktail, but it's supposed to do set. One drug does this. One slows down the breathing. One works on the heart. One, it, The pentobarbital is supposed to be all-encompassing. One thing, it has to do it all, babe. This is some serious and some strong and some scary stuff that's used for, to treat what, seizures, they say? It's meant to slow down the central nervous system, to slow it down.
00:06:10
Speaker 2: And in high doses, it's supposed to stop it.
00:06:12
Speaker 1: My goodness, to think that's going into the wrong place in your body is.
00:06:17
Speaker 1: So the latest here, yes, the governor has ordered a review. It's going to be led by a former U.S. Attorney General. And yes, the big news was, Robes, about the Tennessee Correction Commissioner, a name that most Americans would never know or never need to know. But now he is known because, Robes, botched executions in Tennessee is on this guy.
00:06:39
Speaker 3: Yes, we're talking about Tennessee Correction Commissioner Frank Strada. And yes, he has been in place. since 2023, ironically brought in to overhaul executions in that state, and he's the one who oversaw that switch to the single-dose protocol.
00:06:59
Speaker 2: So, look, before this, though.
00:07:01
Speaker 3: He was the deputy director of the Arizona Department of Corrections. And we'll get into that history because it is significant now that we know what's taken place in Tennessee.
00:07:12
Speaker 1: That's essentially a promotion, right? He was the deputy director out there or the assistant out there. And then he gets a promotion. He's in charge of all of Tennessee and all of the executions and the prison system there. Fine. He's been there since 2023. This governor did bring him in. So yeah, Rogues, he's been working. They say overhaul. It's been a mess in the country the past several years. A lot of states have been scrambling, trying to figure out what to do with executions. Drugs not available. Some things being deemed unconstitutional. Nitrogen gas. Hadn't figured that out yet. They've stopped those in Alabama. Ropes, it's been, states are trying to figure it out. They're not just putting them in electric chairs anymore.
00:07:50
Speaker 2: That's true.
00:07:51
Speaker 3: And pharmaceutical companies do not want to participate and lend their drugs, their chemicals to killing folks in even state sanctioned killings.
00:08:00
Speaker 2: They're morally opposed to it. Europe won't allow.
00:08:03
Speaker 3: Pharmaceutical companies to send drugs that are going to be used in that manner. And then you've got medical professionals who've taken a Hippocratic oath, who have taken an oath to do no harm. Name a doctor you know who wants to participate in an execution. They're few and far between. So they've got medical staff shortages, drug shortages, and competing ideas about what's the safest, what's the most humane way to execute an inmate.
00:08:29
Speaker 1: So yeah, this guy, that just goes two ropes. A lot of states have been struggling with this and trying to figure out. And he was the guy who was in charge of trying to figure it out for the state of Tennessee, clearly. They have not. But he put out a, I guess, short and sweet, what else is he supposed to say, Frank Strada put out. This was his resignation statement.
00:08:48
Speaker 3: Serving as commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Corrections has been a great honor, and I continue to believe the department carried out its responsibilities in accordance with the established protocol. Stepping aside is in the best interest of Tennesseans as the independent review moves forward. I do think that's interesting that he went there and decided to defend that.
00:09:10
Speaker 1: Everybody wants to defend themselves. Right?
00:09:12
Speaker 3: But obviously, something went wrong. Obviously, protocols weren't followed. And when I say that, the IV is supposed to go into a vein. It's pretty clear that that didn't happen.
00:09:25
Speaker 1: Yeah. Again, they put out, you remember, the department put out a statement right after the execution said they followed all protocols. They're talking about possibly robes. The protocol means that we got two needles. We try it once, we try it again, it didn't work. We don't have a third thing to do. Maybe he's just trying to, I don't know, thread some needle there. But robes, the first part, it's not part of protocol to put the needle in correctly. I mean, that's just, that's the basis of what we're doing today. We can't even get to the next thing. You do this first. Do you have to establish this protocol? Get the needle in right?
00:10:01
Speaker 3: That should just be, yes, basic, but still, yes, should be acknowledged. That needs to be, that's probably one of the most important things you do in the series of steps to kill someone. I don't know if this is verifiable, but in several news outlets, her attorneys, Krista Pike's attorneys, described Krista Pike being rushed to the hospital after the two failed attempts with up to seven needles in her arms.
00:10:27
Speaker 2: So there was something going on. They knew it wasn't working.
00:10:31
Speaker 1: You know, I would have, if he'd have put in his statement, we did everything right. Yeah, wrote seven needles. But, folks, you hear that seven evils. The guy beforehand, Carruthers? There were a dozen needles in him, they said. They tried a dozen times to poke him before they found him. That one went an hour. You remember they tried for an hour with the last guy in Tennessee.
00:10:55
Speaker 3: It's wild because if anybody has been in the hospital and has had, like, if you are not, and this is the point Krista Pike's team was making, if you have a medical condition that makes it more difficult for you to have a vein, a healthy vein, I have been in the hospital with someone not being able to get an IV in my arm. I have had 10, 12 of those in. It is such a traumatic process. And look, it's so interesting from nurse.
00:11:22
Speaker 2: To nurse to medical professional.
00:11:24
Speaker 3: They have such different techniques, different ways. And not everyone is good at that. And if you don't do it every day, day in and day out, it's not actually an.
00:11:34
Speaker 2: Easy thing to do.
00:11:36
Speaker 1: I think everybody listening has had that experience somewhere in their life where someone couldn't find the vein. And then they squint and say, you know what? Let me go get Pam. She's better at this. That kind of a thing. It's happened a million times. One is less experienced and they want somebody else because they're having difficulty finding a vein. Robes, is that happening in a death chamber? It just can't. It just cannot happen. Well, stay with us, folks. Yes, we're talking about what happened in Tennessee, but the guy in charge of the execution in Tennessee was in charge of executions in Arizona. Stay here. We'll tell you how The last three went under his authority.
00:12:25
Speaker 2: Welcome back everyone to Amy and TJ. Yes. One of the new big headlines.
00:12:30
Speaker 3: In the Krista Pike saga is that the commissioner of the Tennessee correction department, Frank Strada has stepped down. He has offered his resignation letter. But when you go back to his recent history, yes, he is the fairly new, newly instated corrections department commissioner. But before that, he was with the state of Arizona. He was the deputy director. But wait until you hear what happened with the last three execution attempts. in the state of Arizona under, well, I guess under his tutelage. He was the deputy director, but still, he was a part of the process.
00:13:07
Speaker 1: By all reporting here, he was the guy in charge of executions. Now, I guess the buck stops at the guy above him, but he had a hand here. And this has been widely reported and vetted, and his background is now being looked at. And when you hear these robes, you go, wow, that sounds awfully familiar. So with Clarence Dixon, 2022 execution officer, Again, they couldn't find a vein. They said this went on for some 25 minutes, but they ended up, Robes, having to make an incision in his groin to find a place to let this stuff enter his bloodstream. Robes, that sounds extremely painful, uncomfortable, and it doesn't sound like protocol. The other one, Robes, that is unbelievable, 2022 as well, Frank Atwood couldn't find a vein. Robes, the reporting from the reporter who was in the room is that Atwood himself suggested, hey, can you guys try the hand? He was in such discomfort in all they were trying to do. He asked the people trying to kill him, why don't you try my hand to find the vein? Robes are reporting from the reporter in the room. So they looked at each other. They looked at him, looked back at each other. And took his advice. Okay, let's try it. Robes, they took the advice of the guy they're trying to execute on how to execute him.
00:14:29
Speaker 2: That's insane. And that's not it for 2022. Then you have Murray Hooper. Also.
00:14:35
Speaker 3: The folks there in the execution chamber could not find a vein. They eventually inserted it into his.
00:14:44
Speaker 2: Femoral artery. Femoral artery. What is happening?
00:14:48
Speaker 1: So you've got... That's not protocol. That's not standard. Ropes, it got in there and they just start remixing. They just, how are we going to do this? They just spitballing. How are we going to figure this out? Ropes, those were the last three that he was in charge of there in Arizona. You take that with what happened with Carruthers. Earlier this year, the same set, they're poking and poking and poking a guy that they can't find the vein. So what is happening, Rhodes? Is it a matter of you're not hiring qualified people? Are you not practicing this enough? Can you practice this? Surely, medical professionals, you're in medical school practicing on all kinds of bodies and dummies. They have got to rehearse this, baby.
00:15:31
Speaker 2: It's appalling, actually.
00:15:33
Speaker 3: Look, an ER nurse would know I mean, there's no one better than someone who puts.
00:15:38
Speaker 2: In a line day in and day out.
00:15:40
Speaker 3: I do know just from, unfortunately, my history of having IVs that it's just, if you go into the NYU Cancer Center and you go to get your chemo, guess what? Never once had a problem. They know how to put those things in right away. They're saving your life. You've got nurses and doctors who do this every single day to multiple patients. And it's so, as awful as it is to go into a situation like that, there is at least comfort in knowing they know exactly what they're doing.
00:16:07
Speaker 1: So is that the problem, baby, that we have plenty of qualified people, they just can't get them to do these executions?
00:16:12
Speaker 2: Correct.
00:16:12
Speaker 1: Because we know, Robes, they're masters at this.
00:16:16
Speaker 3: Yes, but they don't want to participate in executing someone, which I fully understand.
00:16:20
Speaker 1: Then we've got to train people who are willing to do it. Train them up. Robes, there are plenty of correctional officers. Everybody.
00:16:28
Speaker 2: They're just not getting practice, though. Think about it. How many executions do you have in a year?
00:16:32
Speaker 3: I mean, compare that to nurses and medical professionals who insert IVs multiple times a day, every single day.
00:16:41
Speaker 2: You just can't compete.
00:16:42
Speaker 1: If you're having two executions a year, you know when it's coming. You really can't rehearse for a month. You really can't practice for two months. You really can't find somebody that all you're going to do is practice putting this needle in this arm for two months in anticipation. How many times we hear Florida having a problem with needles?
00:16:59
Speaker 2: They've had some practice.
00:17:00
Speaker 3: Yeah.
00:17:01
Speaker 1: Isn't that something? I'm trying to think. Have we had one you can remember where there was.
00:17:05
Speaker 2: An issue in the past two years?
00:17:06
Speaker 1: No, not in the state of Florida.
00:17:07
Speaker 2: I do not remember.
00:17:08
Speaker 1: With their record pace. Yeah.
00:17:11
Speaker 2: They know what they're doing.
00:17:12
Speaker 1: Bro, execution is six. We get word at 612. Person was pronounced dead. It's done. Maybe Florida should go around and train. I don't know. I got all kinds of suggestions here. I'm spitballing, too. But, Rose, this makes no sense that a guy being executed suggested how you should execute him in the chamber.
00:17:30
Speaker 2: That's outrageous.
00:17:32
Speaker 3: And what's happened, frankly, so the last five executions under this man have resulted in the same.
00:17:39
Speaker 2: That's something that we need to be taking a look at.
00:17:42
Speaker 1: All right. But we're keeping an eye, waiting for, really, we're standing by any moment to get updates. Not getting a lot about Krista Pike. We're keeping an eye on it. We always appreciate you spending some time with us. Keep an eye on our feed. for updates about Krista Pike. Thanks for spending some time with us. I'm TJ. That's Robes. Talk soon.
Speaker 1: Hey there, folks. It is Monday, October 4th, and here we are several days after a botched execution in Tennessee. The death row inmate is still alive. The prison chief is out of a job. And with that, welcome to this episode of Amy and TJ. I guess Roe was the first head to roll. Will this be it? Will this be enough? The head of the prison system there in Tennessee is resigning, and that should be it.
00:00:28
Speaker 2: I doubt it.
00:00:29
Speaker 3: If I had to just predict what's coming next, yes, Tennessee Correction Commissioner Frank Strada might be the first head to roll, but I hardly, I mean, I just have a hard time believing he'd be the only head to roll. Obviously, there is going to be some finger pointing. Investigations are ongoing, and I would imagine changes will be taking place as well.
00:00:53
Speaker 1: Yeah, changes. Well, he's only been in that job a few years. And Robes, it was pretty remarkable to see what his previous experience had been in executions and the results of those executions. You ain't going to believe it when we tell you that's coming up in a second. But Robes, even in Tennessee, he's only been there a couple of years and two executions this year had to be stopped. He's the guy in charge. Yes.
00:01:19
Speaker 3: I mean.
00:01:20
Speaker 2: And they had to be stopped.
00:01:21
Speaker 3: Well. For similar reasons, or at least it didn't, the outcome wasn't what was anticipated, which of course was death, cruel and unusual executions. Neither took place, both of them involving lethal injections. So yes, you would think if those were the only two issues on his resume, that would certainly potentially even be enough for him to be removed.
00:01:44
Speaker 2: But when you take a look at his history....
00:01:47
Speaker 3: It's incredibly puzzling to see how he's actually gotten as far as he has in the position he's in.
00:01:53
Speaker 1: Well, here we are on this Monday morning. As of this recording, we'll get you caught up here about Krista Pike, who had an execution scheduled for, and quite frankly, the execution went forward. Just the result was not what they expected. Krista Pike is still alive. Robes, it's hard to get a good handle on this, but it seems like we're only getting it from her lawyers, who don't seem to be clear either. Not exactly sure why. what her condition is and what her prognosis is going to be.
00:02:18
Speaker 3: Yes, from her attorneys, what we've heard is that she's unconscious, that she's on a ventilator, so she's not breathing on her own. They say that her arms are swollen and burned and absolutely were severely damaged in the attempt to execute her. They also claim that they don't know if she'll ever wake up, if she'll ever be conscious again. They say her prognosis is unknown at this time and we won't get a better idea of it most likely until a few days from now. If she does regain consciousness, yes, there are questions about what her level of competency will be because they believe her brain was deprived of oxygen for long enough that it is absolutely unknown what may happen next.
00:03:07
Speaker 1: What did they do to this woman? What did they do to this woman in an attempt to kill her? She got a worse fate. I mean, this is strange stuff. So, yes, the state of Tennessee is fighting as we speak to save her life. A woman that a few days ago they were sure they wanted to kill. That execution was one that would be deemed historic. It's been 200 years since they executed a woman in the state of Tennessee, and it's just a rarity in the country. So it was a big deal. to see what we were seeing last night. And now it's even a bigger deal to see what we're seeing and see what happens with the debate over the death penalty in this country. Robes, they seem to have, I mean, this is kind of a consensus now. Like, how does she survive? Robes, it's not a matter of she's got superhuman blood or strength or anything else. Robes, they screwed up. Yes.
00:03:56
Speaker 3: It's pretty much every doctor who has weighed in on this And it makes total sense. It appears that the IV was either placed incorrectly or that when the lethal doses, when the drug went.
00:04:10
Speaker 2: Into her vein burst, which can happen.
00:04:12
Speaker 3: So you have to readjust and re put the IV back into a new vein.
00:04:18
Speaker 2: If you've got a blown vein, none of that was apparently done.
00:04:21
Speaker 3: So they believe regardless, there was operator error here that the IV was either initially placed in incorrectly or or wasn't readjusted to make up for an issue that occurred while the drug was going in. But it basically went into her body tissue, into her arm tissue, into her bloodstream, which means that the doses that went into her arm tissue didn't take full effect. And so it didn't kill her, but it knocked her unconscious, and it deprived her brain of oxygen.
00:04:49
Speaker 1: That's crazy, Robes. The stuff is supposed to go into your bloodstream, and they say instead it goes into her body. What damage is that done? But it goes in line with, because it was bizarre, at least for me, for a layperson to hear the reports out of the death chamber that she complained about her arm burning. That makes perfect sense now, they say.
00:05:09
Speaker 2: Absolutely.
00:05:10
Speaker 3: They said this would be exceptionally painful for someone to go through. And I guess, according to her attorneys, the condition of her arms speak volumes at this point. Because yes, if that penobarbitrol goes straight into your bloodstream, the idea is that it will stop your heart. if it doesn't go into your bloodstream, that doesn't.
00:05:28
Speaker 2: Take effect in the way it's supposed to.
00:05:30
Speaker 1: And that's crazy. They use a one dose deal there in Tennessee. You have other states, roads that use a three drug cocktail, but it's supposed to do set. One drug does this. One slows down the breathing. One works on the heart. One, it, The pentobarbital is supposed to be all-encompassing. One thing, it has to do it all, babe. This is some serious and some strong and some scary stuff that's used for, to treat what, seizures, they say? It's meant to slow down the central nervous system, to slow it down.
00:06:10
Speaker 2: And in high doses, it's supposed to stop it.
00:06:12
Speaker 1: My goodness, to think that's going into the wrong place in your body is.
00:06:17
Speaker 1: So the latest here, yes, the governor has ordered a review. It's going to be led by a former U.S. Attorney General. And yes, the big news was, Robes, about the Tennessee Correction Commissioner, a name that most Americans would never know or never need to know. But now he is known because, Robes, botched executions in Tennessee is on this guy.
00:06:39
Speaker 3: Yes, we're talking about Tennessee Correction Commissioner Frank Strada. And yes, he has been in place. since 2023, ironically brought in to overhaul executions in that state, and he's the one who oversaw that switch to the single-dose protocol.
00:06:59
Speaker 2: So, look, before this, though.
00:07:01
Speaker 3: He was the deputy director of the Arizona Department of Corrections. And we'll get into that history because it is significant now that we know what's taken place in Tennessee.
00:07:12
Speaker 1: That's essentially a promotion, right? He was the deputy director out there or the assistant out there. And then he gets a promotion. He's in charge of all of Tennessee and all of the executions and the prison system there. Fine. He's been there since 2023. This governor did bring him in. So yeah, Rogues, he's been working. They say overhaul. It's been a mess in the country the past several years. A lot of states have been scrambling, trying to figure out what to do with executions. Drugs not available. Some things being deemed unconstitutional. Nitrogen gas. Hadn't figured that out yet. They've stopped those in Alabama. Ropes, it's been, states are trying to figure it out. They're not just putting them in electric chairs anymore.
00:07:50
Speaker 2: That's true.
00:07:51
Speaker 3: And pharmaceutical companies do not want to participate and lend their drugs, their chemicals to killing folks in even state sanctioned killings.
00:08:00
Speaker 2: They're morally opposed to it. Europe won't allow.
00:08:03
Speaker 3: Pharmaceutical companies to send drugs that are going to be used in that manner. And then you've got medical professionals who've taken a Hippocratic oath, who have taken an oath to do no harm. Name a doctor you know who wants to participate in an execution. They're few and far between. So they've got medical staff shortages, drug shortages, and competing ideas about what's the safest, what's the most humane way to execute an inmate.
00:08:29
Speaker 1: So yeah, this guy, that just goes two ropes. A lot of states have been struggling with this and trying to figure out. And he was the guy who was in charge of trying to figure it out for the state of Tennessee, clearly. They have not. But he put out a, I guess, short and sweet, what else is he supposed to say, Frank Strada put out. This was his resignation statement.
00:08:48
Speaker 3: Serving as commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Corrections has been a great honor, and I continue to believe the department carried out its responsibilities in accordance with the established protocol. Stepping aside is in the best interest of Tennesseans as the independent review moves forward. I do think that's interesting that he went there and decided to defend that.
00:09:10
Speaker 1: Everybody wants to defend themselves. Right?
00:09:12
Speaker 3: But obviously, something went wrong. Obviously, protocols weren't followed. And when I say that, the IV is supposed to go into a vein. It's pretty clear that that didn't happen.
00:09:25
Speaker 1: Yeah. Again, they put out, you remember, the department put out a statement right after the execution said they followed all protocols. They're talking about possibly robes. The protocol means that we got two needles. We try it once, we try it again, it didn't work. We don't have a third thing to do. Maybe he's just trying to, I don't know, thread some needle there. But robes, the first part, it's not part of protocol to put the needle in correctly. I mean, that's just, that's the basis of what we're doing today. We can't even get to the next thing. You do this first. Do you have to establish this protocol? Get the needle in right?
00:10:01
Speaker 3: That should just be, yes, basic, but still, yes, should be acknowledged. That needs to be, that's probably one of the most important things you do in the series of steps to kill someone. I don't know if this is verifiable, but in several news outlets, her attorneys, Krista Pike's attorneys, described Krista Pike being rushed to the hospital after the two failed attempts with up to seven needles in her arms.
00:10:27
Speaker 2: So there was something going on. They knew it wasn't working.
00:10:31
Speaker 1: You know, I would have, if he'd have put in his statement, we did everything right. Yeah, wrote seven needles. But, folks, you hear that seven evils. The guy beforehand, Carruthers? There were a dozen needles in him, they said. They tried a dozen times to poke him before they found him. That one went an hour. You remember they tried for an hour with the last guy in Tennessee.
00:10:55
Speaker 3: It's wild because if anybody has been in the hospital and has had, like, if you are not, and this is the point Krista Pike's team was making, if you have a medical condition that makes it more difficult for you to have a vein, a healthy vein, I have been in the hospital with someone not being able to get an IV in my arm. I have had 10, 12 of those in. It is such a traumatic process. And look, it's so interesting from nurse.
00:11:22
Speaker 2: To nurse to medical professional.
00:11:24
Speaker 3: They have such different techniques, different ways. And not everyone is good at that. And if you don't do it every day, day in and day out, it's not actually an.
00:11:34
Speaker 2: Easy thing to do.
00:11:36
Speaker 1: I think everybody listening has had that experience somewhere in their life where someone couldn't find the vein. And then they squint and say, you know what? Let me go get Pam. She's better at this. That kind of a thing. It's happened a million times. One is less experienced and they want somebody else because they're having difficulty finding a vein. Robes, is that happening in a death chamber? It just can't. It just cannot happen. Well, stay with us, folks. Yes, we're talking about what happened in Tennessee, but the guy in charge of the execution in Tennessee was in charge of executions in Arizona. Stay here. We'll tell you how The last three went under his authority.
00:12:25
Speaker 2: Welcome back everyone to Amy and TJ. Yes. One of the new big headlines.
00:12:30
Speaker 3: In the Krista Pike saga is that the commissioner of the Tennessee correction department, Frank Strada has stepped down. He has offered his resignation letter. But when you go back to his recent history, yes, he is the fairly new, newly instated corrections department commissioner. But before that, he was with the state of Arizona. He was the deputy director. But wait until you hear what happened with the last three execution attempts. in the state of Arizona under, well, I guess under his tutelage. He was the deputy director, but still, he was a part of the process.
00:13:07
Speaker 1: By all reporting here, he was the guy in charge of executions. Now, I guess the buck stops at the guy above him, but he had a hand here. And this has been widely reported and vetted, and his background is now being looked at. And when you hear these robes, you go, wow, that sounds awfully familiar. So with Clarence Dixon, 2022 execution officer, Again, they couldn't find a vein. They said this went on for some 25 minutes, but they ended up, Robes, having to make an incision in his groin to find a place to let this stuff enter his bloodstream. Robes, that sounds extremely painful, uncomfortable, and it doesn't sound like protocol. The other one, Robes, that is unbelievable, 2022 as well, Frank Atwood couldn't find a vein. Robes, the reporting from the reporter who was in the room is that Atwood himself suggested, hey, can you guys try the hand? He was in such discomfort in all they were trying to do. He asked the people trying to kill him, why don't you try my hand to find the vein? Robes are reporting from the reporter in the room. So they looked at each other. They looked at him, looked back at each other. And took his advice. Okay, let's try it. Robes, they took the advice of the guy they're trying to execute on how to execute him.
00:14:29
Speaker 2: That's insane. And that's not it for 2022. Then you have Murray Hooper. Also.
00:14:35
Speaker 3: The folks there in the execution chamber could not find a vein. They eventually inserted it into his.
00:14:44
Speaker 2: Femoral artery. Femoral artery. What is happening?
00:14:48
Speaker 1: So you've got... That's not protocol. That's not standard. Ropes, it got in there and they just start remixing. They just, how are we going to do this? They just spitballing. How are we going to figure this out? Ropes, those were the last three that he was in charge of there in Arizona. You take that with what happened with Carruthers. Earlier this year, the same set, they're poking and poking and poking a guy that they can't find the vein. So what is happening, Rhodes? Is it a matter of you're not hiring qualified people? Are you not practicing this enough? Can you practice this? Surely, medical professionals, you're in medical school practicing on all kinds of bodies and dummies. They have got to rehearse this, baby.
00:15:31
Speaker 2: It's appalling, actually.
00:15:33
Speaker 3: Look, an ER nurse would know I mean, there's no one better than someone who puts.
00:15:38
Speaker 2: In a line day in and day out.
00:15:40
Speaker 3: I do know just from, unfortunately, my history of having IVs that it's just, if you go into the NYU Cancer Center and you go to get your chemo, guess what? Never once had a problem. They know how to put those things in right away. They're saving your life. You've got nurses and doctors who do this every single day to multiple patients. And it's so, as awful as it is to go into a situation like that, there is at least comfort in knowing they know exactly what they're doing.
00:16:07
Speaker 1: So is that the problem, baby, that we have plenty of qualified people, they just can't get them to do these executions?
00:16:12
Speaker 2: Correct.
00:16:12
Speaker 1: Because we know, Robes, they're masters at this.
00:16:16
Speaker 3: Yes, but they don't want to participate in executing someone, which I fully understand.
00:16:20
Speaker 1: Then we've got to train people who are willing to do it. Train them up. Robes, there are plenty of correctional officers. Everybody.
00:16:28
Speaker 2: They're just not getting practice, though. Think about it. How many executions do you have in a year?
00:16:32
Speaker 3: I mean, compare that to nurses and medical professionals who insert IVs multiple times a day, every single day.
00:16:41
Speaker 2: You just can't compete.
00:16:42
Speaker 1: If you're having two executions a year, you know when it's coming. You really can't rehearse for a month. You really can't practice for two months. You really can't find somebody that all you're going to do is practice putting this needle in this arm for two months in anticipation. How many times we hear Florida having a problem with needles?
00:16:59
Speaker 2: They've had some practice.
00:17:00
Speaker 3: Yeah.
00:17:01
Speaker 1: Isn't that something? I'm trying to think. Have we had one you can remember where there was.
00:17:05
Speaker 2: An issue in the past two years?
00:17:06
Speaker 1: No, not in the state of Florida.
00:17:07
Speaker 2: I do not remember.
00:17:08
Speaker 1: With their record pace. Yeah.
00:17:11
Speaker 2: They know what they're doing.
00:17:12
Speaker 1: Bro, execution is six. We get word at 612. Person was pronounced dead. It's done. Maybe Florida should go around and train. I don't know. I got all kinds of suggestions here. I'm spitballing, too. But, Rose, this makes no sense that a guy being executed suggested how you should execute him in the chamber.
00:17:30
Speaker 2: That's outrageous.
00:17:32
Speaker 3: And what's happened, frankly, so the last five executions under this man have resulted in the same.
00:17:39
Speaker 2: That's something that we need to be taking a look at.
00:17:42
Speaker 1: All right. But we're keeping an eye, waiting for, really, we're standing by any moment to get updates. Not getting a lot about Krista Pike. We're keeping an eye on it. We always appreciate you spending some time with us. Keep an eye on our feed. for updates about Krista Pike. Thanks for spending some time with us. I'm TJ. That's Robes. Talk soon.