Isabelle Wilson-
Tennessee death row inmate Christa Pike is conscious, speaking and continuing to receive critical medical care after surviving a botched lethal injection, her attorneys said Oct. 6. Pike, 50, was taken to a Nashville-area hospital after state officials failed to execute her on Sept. 30, following two rounds of pentobarbital injections.
“Against all odds, Christa Pike is conscious, speaking, and continues to receive critical medical care,” her attorneys said in a statement. They described her recovery as medically unprecedented and said her prognosis remains unclear, warning that she faces a long recovery. Her lawyers also said Pike has suffered severe damage to her arms and remains handcuffed and shackled to her hospital bed.
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Pike was scheduled to be executed for the 1995 murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer, a crime for which she was convicted and sentenced to death. The execution was delayed for nearly 10 hours after a federal appeals court issued a last-minute stay based on arguments concerning
Pike’s traumatic childhood and history of sexual abuse. The U.S. Supreme Court later overturned the stay in a 6-3 decision, allowing Tennessee to proceed with the execution.
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The execution began at about 7:30 p.m. Central Time, according to journalists who witnessed the procedure. Pike reportedly complained that her arm felt as though it was about to burst open shortly after the first injection. Witnesses later observed her taking deep breaths, snoring, yawning and moving during the procedure, raising concerns that the lethal drugs had not been properly administered.
Prison officials closed the curtains to the execution chamber twice during the process, leaving journalists unable to observe what was happening. The second closure lasted roughly 50 minutes. Pike was subsequently removed from the chamber and transported to a hospital in the Nashville area.
Her attorneys believe the intravenous lines may have been improperly placed or that Pike’s veins failed during the procedure, causing some or all of the pentobarbital to enter her arm rather than her bloodstream. They said prison officials struggled for about an hour to establish intravenous access and made multiple attempts.
On Oct. 2, Pike’s legal team said she was unconscious and dependent on a ventilator, with her arms burned, blistered and swollen. They said hospital staff were working to save her life and remove the pentobarbital from her system.
Her attorneys now say Pike has regained consciousness and is able to speak. They described her as the only person known to have survived a complete execution attempt in the United States and called for Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee to commute her death sentence to life imprisonment without parole.
The failed execution has intensified scrutiny of Tennessee’s death penalty procedures. It was the second botched execution in the state in four months, following the May execution attempt involving Tony Carruthers. Lee has ordered an independent investigation into Pike’s case and canceled the state’s remaining scheduled execution for this year. Tennessee Department of Correction Commissioner Frank Strada, who oversaw both executions, has also announced plans to resign.
The governor’s office has not responded to requests for comment about Pike’s condition or whether Lee will consider commuting her sentence. Meanwhile, Pike’s attorneys have thanked medical personnel, first responders and supporters around the world who have sent messages of support as she begins what they expect to be a lengthy recovery.
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