Christa Pike Recalls Hospital Stay After Botched Execution, Doctor Says
Anesthesiologist Joel Zivot reports that the inmate, who survived two lethal injection attempts, has some hospital memories but no recollection of the execution.
Christa Pike, the first death row inmate known to have survived lethal injection, has retained some memories of her time in the hospital following two botched execution attempts, according to a doctor who advised her legal team. Pike, 50, is conscious and able to communicate.
Dr. Joel Zivot, an anesthesiologist, told the BBC that Pike has "some memories of being in the hospital but no memory, I believe, of the execution attempt." He added that Pike is able to communicate in a "basic way" and incorrectly believes the current date to be in September.
Pike was sentenced to death for the 1995 murder of her 19-year-old classmate, Slemmer, whom she killed in a jealous rage. Her execution was attempted on a recent date, but officials were unable to complete the procedure.
Pike's case has drawn attention to the lethal injection process, with Zivot having previously testified in other cases concerning the drug protocols used in executions.