Christa Pike's Attorney Details Botched Execution Attempt

Christa Pike's attorney has detailed a botched execution attempt in new court filings, describing how personnel struggled to establish intravenous lines to administer a lethal injection. Randy Spivey, an attorney with the Tennessee Office of the Post-Conviction Defender who witnessed the event, stated that the IV team appeared to use approximately 10 needles during the Sept. 30 attempted execution at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville.

Pike, the sole woman on Tennessee's death row, survived the administration of two doses of pentobarbital. Spivey's declaration, included in a motion filed Thursday, alleges that IV team members were unsure if needles were inserted correctly and expressed concern that veins might have been "blown." Pike reportedly winced as an IV team member attempted to insert a needle into her left shoulder, and later complained of burning and pain in her arm.

According to Spivey, the IV team began their attempts at 6:34 p.m., and were not satisfied that the lines were set until 7:24 p.m. Approximately 10 minutes later, Pike reportedly experienced discomfort. By 8:06 p.m., her spiritual advisor indicated she was still alive. The state's protocol does not authorize a third dose of pentobarbital.

A 911 call requesting an ambulance was made from the prison at 8:40 p.m., according to a transcript released by the Metro Nashville Emergency Communications Center.

The Tennessee Department of Correction previously stated it "followed every step of the State’s lawful, established execution protocol" and that the "lethal injection chemical in the protocol has consistently been effective."

Spivey's account is part of a new motion seeking to add evidence to a lawsuit filed last year by death row inmates challenging the constitutionality of Tennessee's lethal injection protocol. The inmates allege that pentobarbital carries a "high risk of a torturous death" and seek to bar its use.

Pike was convicted of the 1995 murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer. She was placed on life support after the attempted execution and regained consciousness nearly a week later. Her attorneys reported she suffered burns on her arms and experienced cognitive issues. She has since been released from the hospital and returned to prison.

According to the Death Penalty Information Center, Pike is the first person on record to have survived lethal injection after medication was administered. The center's executive director called the event "the worst we've ever seen and unlike any other botched execution in the modern era."

Pike's attorneys have urged Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee to commute her sentence to life imprisonment without parole. Following the botched execution, Gov. Lee temporarily halted scheduled executions and Tennessee Department of Correction Commissioner Frank Strada resigned. The governor's office has appointed former U.S. Attorney Ed Stanton to conduct an independent review of the execution attempt.