Christa Pike has remained unconscious and on a ventilator in a Tennessee hospital for four days following a failed execution attempt, according to one of her lawyers. Details regarding Pike's condition have been limited since Wednesday night's event.
Pike, 50, was convicted of torturing and killing a classmate, Colleen Slemmer, in 1995 when she was 18. She was one of the youngest women sentenced to death row in the state.
Tennessee prison officials administered two doses of the barbiturate pentobarbital on Wednesday night. Her lawyers reported that the drug did not result in death, but that Pike's arms sustained burns from the caustic substance. She has remained hospitalized under guard as medical personnel attempt to clear the drug from her system.
When asked if Pike had regained consciousness since the execution attempt, Assistant Federal Defender Stephen Ferrell, her lawyer, told CNN's "State of the Union" that he was unaware of any such recovery. Ferrell also stated that Pike had granted medical power of attorney to an individual who is protecting her privacy, and that he was unsure of what information had been shared with that person. Pike's attorneys have not publicly identified the individual handling her medical decisions.