Same lethal injection that failed on Christa Pike kills Texas death-row inmate days later
HUNTSVILLE, TEXAS: Days after Tennessee’s unprecedented failed execution of Christa Pike, Texas used the same lethal-injection drug, pentobarbital, to execute another death-row inmate.
Jamaal Howard was put to death Wednesday, October 7, despite his lawyers' efforts to halt the execution and their concerns about the use and condition of Texas' pentobarbital supply.
The execution has brought renewed attention to pentobarbital and the questions surrounding its use after Pike survived receiving two doses of the drug during Tennessee's September 30 execution attempt.
Texas executed Jamaal Howard, 46, by lethal injection Wednesday night. He was sentenced to death for the 2000 murder of convenience store clerk Vickie Swartout, 42, whom he fatally shot during a robbery. In his final moments, Howard apologized to Swartout’s family and asked for their forgiveness (Christa Pike’s last words were only about herself, no apology to Colleen Slemmer’s mother). His attorneys had tried to stop the execution, citing Tennessee’s botched execution of Christa Pike just one week earlier, when she survived two doses of the same lethal injection drug, pentobarbital. According to witnesses, after receiving the injection, Howard gasped, made snoring-like sounds, coughed and then resumed the snoring sounds before falling silent. He was pronounced dead 19 minutes after the injection.
— Lauren Conlin (@conlin_lauren) October 8, 2026
Texas carries out execution
Howard was executed at the Texas prison in Huntsville after courts rejected attempts by his attorneys to stop the procedure.
His lawyers had specifically raised Pike’s case, arguing that Texas planned to use pentobarbital and that the problems seen during her execution could potentially be repeated.
They also questioned whether Texas’ supply of pentobarbital and questioning whether the state’s supply of the drug was safe to use so soon after the failed Tennessee execution.
They also raised separate claims concerning Howard’s intellectual disability.
A court rejected the appeals twice, while the US Supreme Court declined to intervene late Wednesday. Howard was pronounced dead at 8:03 p.m. local time.
His case dated back to a 2000 robbery in Texas. He was 20 at the time when he shot convenience-store clerk Vickie Swartout and took cigarettes and $114 from the store. He was later convicted of capital murder and sentenced to death.
Before his execution, Howard was allowed to make a final statement.
Swartout’s relatives watched from a witness room. Howard addressed them directly and apologized.
“I wish that you accept my apology, and I wish for your forgiveness,” he said. “I’m sorry for what happened. I wish you can learn to forgive me one of these days.”
Why pentobarbital matters
Pentobarbital is a substance that depresses activity in the central nervous system. Texas uses the drug in its lethal-injection protocol.
It is intended to produce profound unconsciousness before ultimately causing the body’s vital functions to stop.
Its use has become particularly significant in Pike’s case because the Tennessee procedure did not result in her death.
Pike received two doses of pentobarbital during the September 30 execution attempt but remained alive.
She was taken from the execution chamber to a hospital unconscious and was placed on a ventilator.
Her survival has been described by her attorneys as unprecedented in the United States.
Pike is also the first woman known to have survived after receiving lethal-injection chemicals during an execution attempt.
🚨 BREAKING CHRISTA PIKE MEDICAL UPDATE: SHE IS NOW UP AND WALKING BUT HER ATTORNEYS SAY HER RECOVERY IS FAR FROM OVER. Just eight days after Tennessee's failed September 30 execution attempt, Christa Pike is reportedly taking her first steps around her hospital room. During an interview Thursday morning with BBC Radio 4's Today program, attorney Stephen Ferrell revealed that Christa has made another significant improvement since regaining consciousness Tuesday. But he also provided important details about the serious physical and cognitive difficulties she continues to experience. Ferrell stated: "She is up and walking for the first time today, but just around the room, not very far." That is a substantial development considering what her attorneys revealed during yesterday's press conference. At that time, they reported that Christa was suffering from pneumonia, a blood clot in one arm, severe swelling and injuries to both arms and hands, and an inability to swallow food. Her attorney Randy Spivey also said she was unable to move either arm. Now, less than 24 hours later, her legal team is reporting that she has begun walking short distances.
— Charista Snell (@charistasnell) October 8, 2026
Pike now walking in hospital
While Howard was being executed in Texas, Pike’s condition was changing dramatically in Tennessee.
More than a week after surviving the procedure, Pike was reportedly able to walk inside her hospital room, according to her attorney Stephen Ferrell.
“She is up and walking for the first time today, but just around the room, not very far,” Ferrell reportedly told media outlets.
Her recovery, however, remains difficult.
Ferrell said Pike continues to have serious injuries to her arms and is unable to use them normally.
Her lawyers have previously reported severe swelling and other complications. Her mental condition also remains unsettled.
Ferrell said Pike is “fairly with it” but continues to experience periods of confusion and difficulty maintaining her train of thought.
“She can lose her train of thought really easily and forgets where she’s going,” he said.
The legal team is also seeking psychological support for Pike as she attempts to deal with the aftermath of the failed execution.
