Christa Pike Suffering Psychological Trauma After Botched Execution, Lawyers Say
Attorneys report Pike is experiencing cognitive challenges and emotional distress following two failed attempts at lethal injection.
Christa Pike is experiencing "cognitive challenges" and "profound psychological trauma" in the wake of two botched attempts to execute her, her lawyers announced.
Pike, 50, regained consciousness on Tuesday after surviving the failed lethal injection procedures at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville on September 30. Her legal team stated that while her physical recovery has been significant, "significant questions remain about the long-term effects of what she endured."
"Christa is dealing with the profound psychological trauma of having survived a failed execution, including the terror, pain and uncertainty of believing she was about to die," the attorneys said in a statement. "Christa also continues to experience cognitive challenges with concentration and memory."
Pike was sentenced to death in January 1995 for the murder of her 19-year-old Job Corps classmate, Colleen Slemmer. Pike was 18 at the time of the murder.