Watch: What Americans think about the death penalty

Christa Pike, 50, who was sentenced to death after murdering Colleen Slemmer with her then-boyfriend in 1995, survived two lethal injections on 30 September. Experts described it as unprecedented.

The failure of Pike’s execution has reignited the debate about capital punishment and its use in the United States.

The BBC spoke to Americans as well as international tourists in Washington DC about their views on the death penalty.

Read the latest on Christa Pike’s case here.

Video by Meiying Wu.