Christa Pike Conscious After Botched Execution, Lawyers Say
The Tennessee inmate, the only woman on US death row, was taken to a hospital after the procedure was halted.
Christa Pike, the only woman on U.S. death row, is conscious and speaking after a botched execution attempt last week, her lawyers reported Tuesday. Pike, 50, is receiving medical care in a hospital while still in restraints, according to a statement from her legal team.
Pike was convicted in the 1995 murder of Colleen Slemmer and sentenced to death. Her execution was halted after she was administered lethal injections, and she was subsequently transferred to a Nashville hospital for treatment. Her attorneys had previously stated she was unconscious as medical personnel worked to clear pentobarbital from her system.
Her lawyers described her recovery as "medically unprecedented" and indicated that while her prognosis is uncertain, a "long recovery" is expected. They also noted that she is believed to be the only person in the U.S. to have survived an attempted execution.
Authorities have not yet confirmed if they will attempt to execute Pike again, nor have they provided an explanation for the failed procedure. Following the incident, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee suspended all executions in the state for the remainder of the year. The head of the state's prisons also announced plans to resign over the weekend.
Pike was 18 years old at the time of Slemmer's murder. She and her then-boyfriend, Tadaryl Shipp, were convicted of beating, torturing, and killing the 19-year-old Slemmer, whom they had met at a job training program for troubled youth.