Keri Blakinger (@keribla.bsky.social)

Keri Blakinger

@keribla.bsky.social

Reporter: ProPublica. Author: Corrections in Ink. Priors: LA Times, Houston Chron, Marshall Project. Journalist, felon. (I promise I don't bite)

47.3K followers 1.2K following2.7K posts

Keri Blakinger

@keribla.bsky.social

Holy shit every sentence of this story is absolutely bonkers www.nbcnews.com/politics/202...

nbcnews.comOhio Gov. Mike DeWine calls on Vivek Ramaswamy to take down ad featuring opponent’s estranged motherDeWine, a Republican, said he still endorses Ramaswamy over Democrat Amy Acton in the race to succeed him as governor.

Keri Blakinger

@keribla.bsky.social

"We are people who went through hell and came out better, not bitter. In sum, we are proven solutions that should be a welcomed addition to any country." www.themarshallproject.org/2026/10/23/u...

themarshallproject.orgI Served My Time, but a Recent Rule Automatically Bans Me From the U.K.A U.S. passport used to be enough to visit the U.K. Now you need an authorization that bars most formerly incarcerated Americans, regardless of their growth.

Keri Blakinger

@keribla.bsky.social

The Bureau of Prisons is a WILD fucking agency to cover. www.dailyitem.com/news/fci-lew...

Keri Blakinger

@keribla.bsky.social

I have been in Paris for three days (on vacation) and so far the only things I have learned to say in French are fuck and abolish.

Keri Blakinger

@keribla.bsky.social

this has to be one of the most appalling jail lawsuits i have ever seen. how in the actual fuck does this happen. www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/202...

washingtonpost.comInmates describe eating mice and bugs in food served at aging D.C. jailThe plaintiffs in a class-action lawsuit say the city’s jail knew it was feeding them vermin and didn’t do enough to fix the problem.

Keri Blakinger

@keribla.bsky.social

honestly this story just makes me wish my sources were mathematicians because these people are quotable as fuck

Joseph Rezek@rezekjoe.bsky.social

“Perhaps the most relevant issue is that by releasing this trove of material in this manner, the companies are in the process of destroying the ecosystem that made it possible for this work” On the recent trove of math proofs released by the evil robots

nytimes.com‘Breathtaking,’ ‘Devastating’: Mathematics Reels After New OpenAI Release (Gift Article)Hundreds of new A.I.-generated findings moved the frontiers of higher math in a single day — dispelling any doubt that the field is forever changed.

Keri Blakinger

@keribla.bsky.social

amazing reporting here www.propublica.org/article/ken-...

Keri Blakinger

@keribla.bsky.social

Christa Pike was release from the hospital and back to prison, according to her lawyers

Keri Blakinger

@keribla.bsky.social

This case is so bonkers - this is the officers' union suit against the BOP for abruptly terminating their contract last year. Case is headed for a contempt hearing and the government's handling of it all is... well, it's detailed here, you can read: storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

Keri Blakinger reposted

Liliana Segura

@lilianasegura.bsky.social

On the day TN was torturing Christa Pike I was in Oklahoma for what should have been a major step in finally resolving the saga of Richard Glossip. It happened to be Sept 30--exactly 11 years after OK nearly killed Glossip only to realize it had the wrong drugs. My report w/@jordansmith.bsky.social

theintercept.comThe Key Witness Against Richard Glossip Just Returned to Court. It Didn’t Go Well.Decades after blaming Richard Glossip for his own actions, Justin Sneed is less credible than ever — and prosecutors know it.

Keri Blakinger reposted

Liliana Segura

@lilianasegura.bsky.social

I'm still catching up on the aftermath of Christa Pike's execution ordeal but I really appreciated this piece by @keribla.bsky.social, which provides key context and analysis on botched executions, with myriad examples from recent and not-so-recent years. (Do people remember Angel Diaz? I do...)

propublica.orgWhy Tennessee’s Botched Death Row Execution Could Happen AnywhereThe complications behind Tennessee’s failed execution of Christa Pike aren’t uncommon — and show how easily another botched execution could occur, even as others are planned soon in Texas and Florida.

Keri Blakinger

@keribla.bsky.social

According the latest from her lawyers, Christa Pike is now walking, taking “limited steps”

Keri Blakinger

@keribla.bsky.social

This is WILD. The BOP has apparently RE-terminated the union contract

Keri Blakinger@keribla.bsky.social

👀 A federal judge has ordered an in-person hearing as to whether the Federal Bureau of Prisons should be held in contempt for failing to restore the union's contract after a court ordered it to:

Oh neato

Newsom is reportedly considering mass commutations for California death row, but turns out he can't really do that much without help from the courts:

Keri Blakinger

@keribla.bsky.social

Here's the full story www.nytimes.com/2026/10/07/u...

nytimes.comNewsom Mulls Sparing Lives of All 563 Prisoners on Death Row in CaliforniaGov. Gavin Newsom ramped up talks after a botched execution in Tennessee.

Keri Blakinger

@keribla.bsky.social

Oh right. The liquid pool. As opposed to the solid pool. Naturally.

Keri Blakinger

@keribla.bsky.social

Last words of Jamaal Howard, who was executed tonight in Texas:

Keri Blakinger

@keribla.bsky.social

Statement from the Texas Coalition Against the Death Penalty on the execution:

Keri Blakinger reposted

synstistute.bsky.social

@synstistute.bsky.social

Replying to @keribla.bsky.social

Austin Sarat (Amherst College) analyzed 8,776 executions in the United States between 1890 and 2010 - a total of 276 procedures went wrong (3.5%). Problems vary by method though - see attached (deathpenaltyinfo.org/executions/b...)

Keri Blakinger

@keribla.bsky.social

In a hearing this morning, the state said it couldn't answer questions about whether it would try to execute her again:

Keri Blakinger@keribla.bsky.social

I’ve covered death row cases for nearly a decade and witnessed several executions. What happened to Christa Pike wasn’t an anomaly. It could happen anywhere. With another execution planned for this week in Texas, let me explain why. THREAD 🧵

Keri Blakinger

@keribla.bsky.social

Sometimes I really enjoy listening to all the ways that judges can politely ask the state "r u rly serious tho"

Keri Blakinger

@keribla.bsky.social

👀 A federal judge has ordered an in-person hearing as to whether the Federal Bureau of Prisons should be held in contempt for failing to restore the union's contract after a court ordered it to:

Keri Blakinger reposted

Jessica Lussenhop

@jlussenhop.bsky.social

"Pike did not fall into sedation quickly. Instead, witnesses said, she sang with her spiritual adviser. Then she said her arm felt like it was about to burst open. 'Does this happen like that?' she asked." by @keribla.bsky.social www.propublica.org/article/chri...

Keri Blakinger

@keribla.bsky.social

There's an execution scheduled for today in Texas - using the same method, same drug that Tennessee used last week when they tried to kill Christa Pike. Background here: www.propublica.org/article/chri...

Keri Blakinger

@keribla.bsky.social

The federal prison union is asking a judge to hold the BOP in contempt bc they say the agency ignored the court order to reinstate the union contract - and some of the things they're alleging in this motion are WILD

Keri Blakinger

@keribla.bsky.social

Here's the rest of that filing (sans exhibits) storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

storage.courtlistener.comMemorandum in Support – #75, Att. #1 in National Council of Prison Locals, American Federation of Government Employees v. Federal Bureau of Prisons (D. Conn., 3:25-cv-01907) – CourtListener.comMemorandum in Support

Prisoners across the country have repeatedly sued over this kind of secrecy. “Without public accountability or transparency,” said one lawyer, “we should expect to see more people strapped to gurneys and tortured for hours at a time.” www.propublica.org/article/chri...

Keri Blakinger

@keribla.bsky.social

I’m still reporting on this topic. If you know more or are involved in preparing or carrying out lethal injections, you can reach me at keri.blakinger@propublica.org or securely on Signal at KeriB.123

When concerns about execution teams come to light it’s largely by accident. State secrecy laws often shield the names of execution team members, so it’s almost impossible to know whether they have a troubled history. The laws conceal info about the drugs used & their effects.

Keri Blakinger

@keribla.bsky.social

States withhold everything from testing results to purchase dates, making it hard to say whether degraded drugs played a role if an execution goes awry. That’s what Jamaal Howard’s lawyers fear could happen Weds. in Texas - and why they’re asking the governor for a reprieve.

In a deposition, Fowler admitted he hadn’t placed such a line in ~12 years. His hands were shaking, said a witness. (In a text, Fowler denied this - see next post.) By the time he gave up, his lawyer said Tony was moaning, with blood oozing from his wounds.

Keri Blakinger

@keribla.bsky.social

It’s not clear whether he participated in last week’s execution attempt, though previously he told local media he would. When I asked him, he declined to comment.

Attorneys worry similar problems could surface next week, when Florida plans to execute William Lee Thompson, 74. In addition to an array of health problems, his lawyer told me he’s malnourished & dehydrated, which could make it even harder for executioners to locate a vein.

Keri Blakinger

@keribla.bsky.social

If a person’s health isn’t a problem, sometimes the executioners are. In May, TN botched the execution of Tony Carruthers. After executioners repeatedly failed to find a vein, a physician named Dr. Fowler attempted to place a deep IV line near Tony’s heart.

Her legal team warned of this, due in part to her blood disorder. Like Christa, many older prisoners have medical issues that, compounded by age, can turn a theoretically quick death agonizing. One study found the odds of a botched lethal injection grows by ~6% w/ each year.

Keri Blakinger

@keribla.bsky.social

Some of the most notorious failed executions have involved prisoners whose bodies were failing them. Take Doyle Hamm, a terminally ill cancer patient. In 2018, prison officials spent >2 hours looking for a vein, possibly puncturing his bladder before giving up.

I’ve seen 5 executions with the drug. Four prisoners said it burned. Two said they could taste it. One said he could “hear it going through the vein.” But all of them died. Why not Christa? TN officials haven’t offered an explanation.

Keri Blakinger

@keribla.bsky.social

Her lawyers point to the way the drug was administered, arguing it was “abundantly clear” that her execution team didn’t realize the IV lines were out of place or that her veins were so damaged that the drug leached into her arm tissue.

For lethal injections, Tennessee — along with SC, MO, GA and TX — relies on pentobarbital, a caustic barbiturate also used to treat seizures, sedate humans before surgery and euthanize animals. It has drawn repeated scrutiny for use on death row.

Keri Blakinger

@keribla.bsky.social

The Biden admin stopped using pentobarbital for executions, saying it could cause “unnecessary pain and suffering.” This year the Trump admin reversed course.

Christa is the first person in the U.S. to survive a lethal injection. The outcome is unprecedented but what went wrong isn’t — and shows how easily another botched execution could occur. www.propublica.org/article/chri...

Keri Blakinger

@keribla.bsky.social

Here are the basics of what happened: -Executioners struggled to find a vein -The first dose didn’t work, so they gave her a rare second dose -Her arms blistered, one turned purple -She didn’t die, but was unconscious for days On Tuesday, her lawyers said she woke up.

Keri Blakinger

@keribla.bsky.social

BREAKING: Christa Pike is now awake and talking, per her attorneys:

Keri Blakinger

@keribla.bsky.social

Background here - and more on why this could happen anywhere: www.propublica.org/article/chri...

Keri Blakinger reposted

Charles Ornstein

@charlesornstein.bsky.social

Important piece by @keribla.bsky.social: I’ve Covered Death Row Cases for Nearly a Decade. What Happened to Christa Pike Wasn’t an Anomaly.

Keri Blakinger reposted

ProPublica

@propublica.org

NEW: The complications behind Tennessee’s failed execution of Christa Pike aren’t uncommon — and show how easily another botched execution could occur, even as others are planned soon in Texas and Florida. by @keribla.bsky.social

Keri Blakinger

@keribla.bsky.social

There’s an execution scheduled for tomorrow in Texas, and lawyers are worried it could be a repeat of what happened to Christa Pike in Tennessee last week. Here's why what happened to her wasn't really an anomaly: www.propublica.org/article/chri...