Indiana prison officials plan to proceed with Jeffrey Weisheit’s Nov. 5 execution, despite a botched lethal injection attempt in Tennessee that prompted that state’s governor to halt executions and order an independent review. The Indiana Department of Correction (DOC) stated Thursday its confidence in its procedures, even though it uses the same protocol and drug, pentobarbital, as Tennessee.
The planned execution of Weisheit comes as attorneys for Christa Pike, the Tennessee inmate, reported she remained alive after two rounds of pentobarbital on Wednesday and was receiving lifesaving medical care Thursday. Tennessee Governor Bill Lee subsequently ordered an outside investigation and halted his state’s remaining execution scheduled this year. Indiana’s Governor Mike Braun’s office did not respond to questions regarding a potential pause or review of Indiana’s procedures.
The Indiana Department of Correction, through spokesperson Noelle Russell, confirmed the plan to move forward with Weisheit’s execution, adding that the agency had no further comment and does not discuss specific details regarding the administration of its execution protocol for security and operational reasons. The agency offered no additional details about the training of those administering lethal injections, the role of medical personnel, or safeguards for execution drugs.
Joe Perkovich, an attorney for Weisheit, voiced concerns that Indiana’s secrecy hinders his legal team’s ability to scrutinize the drugs the state intends to use or the qualifications of those obtaining and administering them. Perkovich described the "opacity of this regime" as staggering compared to others, and said Tennessee's failed attempt heightened these concerns.
Concerns about execution procedures are not new to Indiana. More than a year ago, attorneys who witnessed Benjamin Ritchie’s execution in Indiana reported seeing his head and shoulders lift from the gurney after pentobarbital was administered. Defense attorneys for Ritchie also raised questions about whether fluctuating storage temperatures could have affected the drugs. The DOC disputed this description of Ritchie’s execution, maintaining that it followed protocol.
Michaela Almgren, a University of South Carolina pharmacy professor, emphasized the importance of evaluating the entire process when a mishap occurs to understand what went wrong and prevent future problems, as multiple factors may contribute. Almgren also noted the importance of pharmaceutical-quality safeguards, which become more difficult to determine without meaningful independent oversight.
Tennessee inmate Christa Pike’s attorney, Randy Spivey, described during a Thursday news conference an hour-long effort by Tennessee’s execution team to establish IV access, counting at least seven needles used in Pike’s left arm. He said the experience was "cruel and it was torturous" and "also predictable," observing Pike’s right arm turn purple, particularly after the second round of drugs. Spivey noted that whether the pentobarbital entered her bloodstream remained unknown. Pike’s attorneys reported Thursday afternoon that she was in critical condition and called on Tennessee’s governor to commute her sentence.
Dr. Jonathan Groner, an emeritus clinical professor of surgery at Ohio State University who has studied executions, suspected an IV-delivery problem in Tennessee based on available accounts, though he cautioned against ruling out a drug problem. Groner explained that placing an IV requires practical experience, and rehearsing on healthy volunteers may not adequately prepare someone for difficult access in a person experiencing anxiety or with underlying health conditions. He stressed that successfully placing an IV does not guarantee continuous function and that staff must recognize problems as they develop, paying close attention to the injection site.
One potential issue is extravasation, where a drug escapes the vein into surrounding tissue, which pentobarbital’s prescribing information warns can cause tissue damage and necrosis. Dr. Joel Zivot, an Emory University anesthesiologist and intensive care physician, said reported injuries around Pike’s IV site were consistent with the drug entering tissue outside a vein. Zivot, who opposes lethal injection, also noted that pentobarbital’s alkaline formulation can injure tissue and that states need the ability to provide emergency medical treatment when an execution goes wrong, questioning the skills and resources of medical personnel present.
Indiana’s execution protocol requires quarterly training for its execution team, including practical IV training with regional emergency medical services oversight and practice inside the execution chamber. The protocol mandates a medical evaluation of the condemned person, including venous access assessment, approximately 30 days before an execution, followed by weekly vein assessments. Former Indiana State Prison Warden Ron Neal described during court proceedings in 2025 that training became more frequent as an execution approached, with weekly practice including IV insertions into live volunteers after Ritchie’s death warrant was issued. The written protocol also assigns a physician responsibilities beyond pronouncing death, including observing IV placement, supervising attempts to use another body site if an arm vein is not suitable, and providing central venous access or other means if peripheral IV access cannot be established. Consultation with a licensed physician is also required for preparing and administering the drugs.
Five men, including Weisheit, remain on Indiana’s death row, with four currently considered competent for execution. Indiana has used pentobarbital in its three executions since resuming capital punishment in December 2024. The Indiana high court ordered Jeffrey Weisheit’s execution for Nov. 5.
