Christa Pike, 50, was diagnosed with a rare form of blood cancer prior to her execution attempt on September 30, a condition her lawyers warned could complicate lethal injections. Officials proceeded with the execution, which ultimately failed, prompting Tennessee Governor Bill Lee to pause all planned executions.
Pike received lethal doses of pentobarbital after decades on death row, but survived the procedure. She was subsequently taken to a hospital and later discharged back to prison on October 9. New documents from a January court filing revealed that Pike's lawyers had alerted officials to her significantly elevated platelet count, likely caused by a myeloproliferative disorder. They argued that a lethal injection was "very likely to result in unnecessary and superadded pain and suffering, terror, and disgrace."
Myeloproliferative neoplasms are a group of disorders in which the body produces too many red blood cells, white blood cells, or platelets. Pike's condition, MPN-related thrombocytosis, meant she had an elevated platelet count, which her lawyers stated increases the risk of pulmonary edema, or fluid buildup in the lungs. Pike had previously requested an all-female firing squad as an alternative to lethal injection, fearing complications, but the state does not authorize this method.
Her legal team also noted a history of difficulty with blood draws and needle insertions. Following the botched execution, Pike spent ten days in the hospital with swollen, burned, and blistered arms, which her lawyers believe resulted from faulty IV lines causing the pentobarbital to infuse into her tissue rather than her bloodstream. Pike reportedly expressed during the execution that her arm felt like it was "about to burst open."
Since returning to the prison, Pike's attorneys have filed an emergency motion arguing that her current confinement conditions violate a previous agreement with the state. Pike, who has been on death row since 1996 for the 1995 beating and stabbing death of classmate Colleen Slemmer, claims she has been held in isolation for 28 years, which has taken a "severe toll" on her health. The motion alleges she is again in isolation with "no meaningful human contact" and faces a "high risk of infection" due to a "roach-infested shower."
Pike also expressed fear of returning to her previous prison block due to inmates with "significant histories of assaults and disciplinary problems," citing witnessed assaults during her prior time there. She seeks to participate in group activities, classes, and religious services. In a statement released on the day the motion was filed, Pike described ongoing physical and emotional pain, stating, "I had not contemplated life beyond that night, and I’m deeply hurt by the incompetence that has put so many people in this terrible position."