Strada resigned Saturday; Lee has paused executions through year
Tennessee’s Bureau of Prisons has no permanent commissioner, UPI reported Saturday, citing The New York Times. Frank Strada resigned Saturday and Gov. Bill Lee has not named a replacement.
Strada stepped down days after the state’s failed execution of Christa Pike. Pike remains unconscious and on a ventilator after surviving two doses of the drug used in the lethal injection, which was botched Tuesday, UPI reported.
“I appreciate his willingness to put the interests of Tennesseans first during this difficult moment,” Lee said in a statement Saturday. “I have accepted his decision to step down and am grateful for his commitment to ensuring a smooth leadership transition.”
Strada said in his own statement that stepping aside was “in the best interest of Tennesseans.” He said he continued to believe the bureau had followed proper protocol and said he would cooperate with the investigation. “I look forward to doing everything I can to help determine exactly what occurred,” Strada said.
Lee has paused executions in Tennessee for the rest of the year. He has not named a replacement for Strada.
The day after the execution was halted, Randy Spivey of the Tennessee Office of the Post-Conviction Defender described the state’s handling of the execution. “The state of Tennessee has shown us again that they are not capable of carrying out an execution consistent with basic human dignity,” Spivey said. “Last night was not just inefficient, it was cruel and it was torturous.”
In May, the state was unable to execute Tony Carruthers after staff could not find a vein after several attempts, UPI reported.