inmate

Executions in Tennessee have been halted for the rest of the year, Governor Bill Lee has said, after two attempts to execute death row inmate Christa Pike by lethal injection failed.

In a statement to CBS News, the BBC’s US partner, Lee said lawful executions were among the state’s “most serious responsibilities”, adding that he has ordered a third-party review “to determine exactly what occurred”.

Tennessee prison officials on Wednesday attempted to administer two lethal doses of pentobarbital to Pike but she survived and was taken to hospital. Her medical condition is unclear.

Pike, 50 was sentenced to death in 1996 for the murder of Colleen Slemmer.

She was 18 when she and her then-boyfriend, Tadaryl Shipp, beat, tortured and killed 19-year-old Slemmer.

Pike would have been the first woman to be executed in Tennessee for over 200 years.

Speaking to reporters at a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday morning, Lee said: “I’m highly disappointed, along with Tennesseans, about what happened last night.”

Governor Lee has not made clear who will conduct the independent review of the state’s execution procedures.

His order to pause all executions will overlap with the planned 3 December execution of convicted murderer Gary Sutton.

In court filings, Pike’s lawyers said she needed “life-saving measures” after her botched execution.

The Tennessee Department of Correction, which handled the execution, issued a statement defending its handling of the case.

“The Tennessee Department of Correction followed every step of the State’s lawful, established execution protocol approved by the attorney general’s office,” the statement said.

“The lethal injection chemical in the protocol has consistently been effective, and the protocol does not allow for additional procedures beyond what was carried out this evening.”

This is the second time in 2026 Tennessee officials attempted and failed to execute a prisoner.

In May, the execution of Tony Carruthers was called off after staff were unable to find a vein to administer a lethal drug. Carruthers was given a one-year reprieve.

Sean “Diddy” Combs’ release date has been moved up once again, just as reports of his alleged pampered federal prison lifestyle have emerged.

The 56-year-old is scheduled to be released on Jan. 21, 2028, from FCI Fort Dix, a low-security federal prison in New Jersey, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate database.

The disgraced music mogul was sentenced to 50 months in prison last October after he was convicted of transporting prostitutes across state lines for drug-fueled sex performances known as “freak-offs.”

The initial release date for Combs was projected for June 2028.

Time in the jailhouse for the “Mo Money Mo Problems” rapper has been shortened several times this year. The last update to his sentence occurred this summer, moving his release to late February 2028.

News of his shortened prison stint comes as reports of Combs’ special lifestyle have emerged in a report by NBC News published Tuesday.

According to four inmates — who were granted anonymity by the outlet to speak freely about life inside the prison — Combs has allegedly been paying men to clean and cook special meals for him, including curry chicken, pizza and empanadas, and that the hip-hop artist receives Chinese-style massages.

One man told NBC, “This is not some normal s— you see in jail. This is some rich s—. It looks crazy, but again, it’s Diddy.”

The news outlet also reviewed footage obtained from inside the correctional facility, where Combs appeared to be using a contraband phone, which multiple inmates claim the artist-producer is using to scroll Instagram and view explicit nude content shared by an old girlfriend.

There are also claims that the “I’ll Be Missing You” singer is purchasing an antidepressant drug known as Remeron, or “rem-roms,” from other inmates and that he keeps a secret stash of liquor that was smuggled into the prison by guards.

“Hell yeah, I drank with him,” one of the men told NBC. He recounted drinking Hennessy with Combs.

Sources also allege that individuals outside the prison are depositing thousands of dollars into the commissary accounts of those performing services for the “Bad Boy for Life” rapper.

A spokesperson for Combs responded to the Los Angeles Times’ request for comment.

“The continued scrutiny of every mundane detail of Sean Combs’s life in prison has reached the point where the media characterizes ordinary prison life as news,” the spokesperson said via email. “The only real news is that Sean continues to serve his sentence within the rules and he patiently awaits the court’s decision on his appeal.”

In an emailed statement to The Times, a FCI Fort Dix spokesperson said they cannot comment on the “conditions of confinement for any incarcerated individual,” nor can they “confirm or deny the existence of a corresponding investigation.”

“Like all correctional agencies, contraband, particularly cell phones, narcotics, and weapons, remains a constant challenge, and we continue to tackle the problem of contraband being introduced into our facilities,” the spokesperson said. “Inmates are not permitted to have access to cell phones, and all incarcerated individuals in the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) who are found to violate the ‘Inmate Discipline Program’ policy are subject to sanctions.”

Combs’ legal troubles hit a peak last year after he was involved in a lengthy and public trial involving allegations of sexual assault and other violence. Among the accusers were his former girlfriend Casandra “Cassie” Ventura and producer Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones, who lodged civil complaints against the music tycoon.

In July 2025, Combs was found guilty on two counts of a prostitution-related charge, but the business titan was cleared of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking, which carried heavier penalties, including a maximum sentence of life in prison.

Times staff writer Alexandra Del Rosario contributed to this report.