Tennessee’s prison chief resigns after failed Christa Pike execution, Bill Lee says

Published October 3, 2026 2:18pm ET



Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee (R-TN) announced Saturday that Corrections Commissioner Frank Strada is stepping down following the state’s failed attempt to execute death row inmate Christa Pike.

Strada said his resignation was “in the best interest of Tennesseans” as an independent review examines what happened Wednesday, when the state administered two doses of the lethal drug pentobarbital but failed to kill Pike.

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