Christa Pike Conscious After Botched Tennessee Execution; Victim's Mother Expresses Resignation

Death row inmate Christa Pike is conscious and experiencing anger and confusion following a botched execution attempt last week at a Tennessee prison, her lawyer said.

Pike, 50, was administered two lethal doses of pentobarbital for the 1995 murder of classmate Colleen Slemmer. She survived the procedure and was subsequently transferred to a local hospital, where she remains shackled to her bed.

"She is angry and confused about everything right now," her lawyer, Randy Spivey, stated. "She is very aware that the state tried to execute her."

It remains unclear what the next steps will be for Pike, who has been on death row for 30 years. Tennessee state law does not explicitly address a scenario where an inmate survives two doses of lethal injection.

May Martinez, Slemmer's mother, expressed a sense of resignation regarding Pike's fate. When asked about her preference for Pike's ultimate outcome, Martinez stated, "It doesn't matter what I think. They're going to do what they're going to do." She had watched the execution attempt unfold at the Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville.

Martinez told NBC News that the event was "a mess" and that Pike did not die after the attempted execution. Her granddaughter, Morgan Seeley, told WSMV that Martinez had refused to eat and was overcome with tears for several days following the incident, as she had hoped for justice for her daughter.

The 1995 Murder

Pike and her then-boyfriend, Tadaryl Shipp, lured Slemmer into a wooded area in January 1995. According to police evidence, an accomplice, Shadolla Peterson, acted as a lookout while Pike and Shipp tortured Slemmer to death, carving a pentagram into her chest. Investigators reported that Pike took a piece of Slemmer's skull as a souvenir.

Pike and Shipp were both convicted of first-degree murder. Pike received a death sentence, while Shipp was given a life sentence with the possibility of parole.

Legal and Medical Status

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has not responded to requests from Pike's attorneys and death penalty opponents to commute her sentence to life in prison. Lee has maintained his support for capital punishment, stating, "My responsibility is to uphold the sentences that Tennessee juries have handed down, even when it's difficult, and that is exactly what we intend to do in the days ahead."

Pike is currently at Vanderbilt University Medical Center receiving critical care. Her attorneys report that she is awake and speaking limitedly, but faces a "long road to recovery." She has a blood clot in one arm, pneumonia, and is unable to swallow or eat. Her arms and hands are significantly swollen, and the extent of any potential long-term function loss is unknown.

Attorneys are seeking to preserve evidence from the failed execution, citing concerns that Pike could be subjected to another execution attempt. They claim the state has not promised this will not happen and that relevant information is being deliberately withheld.

Assistant Attorney General John Ayers stated that there is no pending execution order for Pike, as Governor Lee has paused all further executions in the state. Ayers also asserted that the Department of Corrections has preserved evidence from the attempt, including logbooks, medical waste, and electrocardiogram readouts.

Judge I'Ashea Myles has ordered Tennessee officials to preserve all syringes, drug packaging, lot numbers, catheters, intravenous lines, and gurney restraints used during the execution attempt.

Details of the Botched Execution

Pike's legal team revealed that she was injected with at least seven needles, causing her arms to become swollen, burned, and blistered. According to a court filing, Pike herself offered guidance on IV access points at one stage, and one needle bent at a 90-degree angle upon removal.

The filing further alleges that Pike was administered two sets of lethal drug syringes, and she could be heard crying and breathing loudly during the procedure. At one point, she commented, "My arm feels like it's about to burst open," and asked, "Does this happen like that?"

Pike's attorneys believe that issues with the IV lines caused the pentobarbital to enter her body rather than her bloodstream. They contend that the execution team did not recognize the IV line placement issues or blown veins, and instead administered a backup set of syringes.

Governor Lee has initiated an independent investigation into the incident and canceled the state's final scheduled lethal injection for the year.