Tennessee prisons chief resigning after botched execution of Christa Pike

The head of Tennessee’s prison system is resigning, Governor Bill Lee announced on Saturday, the first major shake-up since the stunning failed execution of Christa Pike landed her on a ventilator at a hospital.

Frank Strada, commissioner of the Department of Correction, will step down this month, Lee said.

Strada said in a statement that resigning was “in the best interest of Tennesseans” while an independent review determines what happened on Wednesday when the state failed to execute Pike despite administering two doses of a lethal drug.

“I believe this review is entirely appropriate and necessary, and I look forward to doing everything I can to help determine exactly what occurred,” Strada said.