Christa Pike Walking in Hospital After Botched Execution Attempt, Lawyer Says

Christa Pike, 50, is "up and walking" in her hospital room after a recent failed execution attempt in Tennessee, a member of her legal team told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. Pike survived two lethal injections on September 30, an event described by experts as unprecedented.

Her lawyer, Stephen Ferrell, stated that while he had not spoken to Pike directly, he had been informed that she was mobile in her hospital room. He noted that Pike is still experiencing the effects of the drug pentobarbital, which was administered in two doses during the attempted execution. She was initially unconscious and in critical condition following the procedure, but has since improved. Ferrell described her physical state as "fairly well," though her arms are injured and she has limited use of them. Mentally, Pike is described as "somewhat foggy," losing her train of thought easily and experiencing confusion.

Pike was sentenced to death for the 1995 murder of Colleen Slemmer, whom she killed with her then-boyfriend Tadaryl Shipp. Pike was 18 and Shipp was 17 at the time of the crime. Shipp was spared the death penalty due to his age and remains in prison. Slemmer's mother has branded the failed execution a "mess."

A court has ordered Tennessee to preserve all evidence related to the botched execution, which could form the basis of a future lawsuit. The evidence order includes IV lines, syringes, waste materials, and documentation of Pike's psychological condition before, during, and after the event. The judge urged the state to take "special care" to safeguard pertinent information.

Ferrell and his colleagues, who had previously raised concerns about Pike's medical condition potentially complicating lethal injection, are advocating against any further execution attempts using the same method. They are urging Governor Bill Lee to commute Pike's sentence to life in prison without parole. In response to the failed execution, some proponents of capital punishment, including Republican gubernatorial candidate Marsha Blackburn, have suggested the reinstatement of the electric chair.

Governor Bill Lee has ordered a pause on all executions in Tennessee for the remainder of the year and has initiated an inquiry into the botched procedure. The state's chief of prisons has resigned in the wake of the incident. The state's attorney general stated in a court hearing on Wednesday that he did not know if Tennessee intended to reschedule Pike's execution.