# Texas executes first death row inmate since failed Christa Pike attempt

> Texas executes Jamaal Howard, US's first death row inmate since Christa Pike's failed lethal injection attempt.
- Title: Texas executes first death row inmate since failed Christa…
- Summary: Texas executes Jamaal Howard, US's first death row inmate since Christa Pike's failed lethal injection attempt. Texas executed Jamaal Howard, the 46-year-old…
- Keywords: texas, jamaal howard, christa pike, death row, lethal injection, pentobarbital, tennessee, executions, texas department of criminal justice, huntsville, entertainment, culture
- Source: LADbible — https://ladbible.com/news/us-news/texas-executes-jamaal-howard-first-since-failed-christa-pike-attempt-338510-20261008
- Published: 2026-10-08T02:16:41.21+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: texas, jamaal howard, christa pike, death row, lethal injection, pentobarbital, tennessee, executions, texas department of criminal justice, huntsville, entertainment, culture
## Texas executes first death row inmate
Texas executed Jamaal Howard, the 46-year-old death row inmate who became the 30th person executed in the US this year.
## Howard executed after failed Christa Pike attempt
Howard was executed on 7 October after Christa Pike's failed lethal injection attempt in Tennessee.
## Howard received fatal pentobarbital dose
Howard was pronounced dead at 8.03pm local time after receiving a fatal dose of pentobarbital at the state prison in Huntsville.
## Howard sentenced for 2000 murder
Howard was sentenced to the death penalty for the 2000 murder of Vickie Swartout during an attempted robbery.
## Howard's legal team blocked execution
Howard's legal team unsuccessfully tried to block the execution, claiming he was intellectually disabled and raising concerns about pentobarbital's effectiveness.

> Ms. Pike survived two lethal doses of pentobarbital, the same drug used in executions in Texas, and she reportedly remains hospitalised in critical condition.
## Howard's IQ and understanding
Howard's IQ is in the 65-70 range, functioning at an 11 or 12-year-old level, and he did not understand the execution process.

> I guess if the drugs don’t work, they’ll just shoot me in the head.
## Christa Pike's condition
Pike is now conscious and speaking but still believes it is September when asked for the date.

> She has some memories of being in the hospital but no memory, I believe, of the execution attempt.
## Tennessee halts executions
Tennessee has paused all upcoming executions until an investigation into the failed Christa Pike attempt is completed.

> The Tennessee Department of Correction followed every step of the State’s lawful, established execution protocol approved by the Attorney General’s Office.
## Key takeaway

Texas executed Jamaal Howard, the 46-year-old death row inmate who became the 30th person executed in the US this year after his legal team failed to block the procedure.