Convicted Murderer Christa Pike Survives Botched Execution Attempt
Pike woke up in hospital 'angry and confused' after two lethal injections failed to end her life, lawyers report.
Convicted murderer Christa Pike has survived a botched execution attempt in Tennessee, her lawyers said, waking up in a hospital "angry and confused" after two lethal injections reportedly failed to end her life.
Pike, 50, was sentenced to death for the 1995 murder of Colleen Slemmer. The execution attempt occurred on September 30. Her legal team stated that she asked "Where am I?" and "Who are you?" upon regaining consciousness.
Her lawyers described her condition as unprecedented, noting that no other inmate in the United States is known to have survived a lethal injection. Pike remains under critical medical care and is reportedly restrained in her hospital bed. Her legal team initially believed she was brain dead and expected her to be taken off life support.
According to her lawyers, Pike assisted the execution team in finding a vein and was reportedly polite during the injection process. She later awoke in a hospital with a tube down her throat and was unable to swallow. Her arms are described as "tremendously swollen," and she has developed pneumonia and a blood clot in one arm.
Following the apparent failure of the lethal injection, which involved two rounds of the drug pentobarbital, Pike was taken to the hospital. She remained unconscious for days as medical staff worked to clear the injected chemicals from her system.
A court ordered on Wednesday that the state of Tennessee preserve all evidence related to the failed execution. This includes IV lines, syringes, packaging, and documentation of Pike's psychological state before, during, and after the incident. Lawyers indicated that this evidence could be crucial for a future lawsuit against the state.
During an emergency court hearing, Pike's lawyers requested phone access for their client and liberal access to visit her. They reported being made to wait for over two hours during a recent attempt to see her in the hospital.
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has halted all state executions for the remainder of the year and called for an investigation into the incident. The state's commissioner of the Department of Correction announced his resignation following the botched execution.