NASHVILLE, United States – A Tennessee woman who survived a failed execution last week is now conscious and speaking, although her prognosis remains unclear, according to her lawyers.
Christa Pike, 50, was sentenced to death for a murder she committed as a teenager. She was administered two doses of the execution drug pentobarbital at a Tennessee prison last week but survived and was taken to hospital in critical condition.
Pike had initially been unconscious and on a ventilator following the failed execution.
Her lawyers said Tuesday that she was now “conscious, speaking” and continuing to receive critical medical care.
“Despite the severe damage she endured to her arms, she is still handcuffed and shackled to the bed,” her legal team said.
They described her recovery as medically unprecedented and said they expected it to be lengthy.
Pike’s lawyers have renewed their call for Tennessee Governor Bill Lee to commute her death sentence to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
Tennessee Suspends Executions
Governor Lee suspended executions in Tennessee following the failed execution while authorities conduct an independent investigation into what went wrong.
The head of the prison system has since resigned.
Pike’s legal team had previously challenged the intravenous procedure planned for the execution, arguing that it could cause unnecessary suffering because of her small veins and a blood condition.
Her lawyers said medical experts had warned that needles could become dislodged or pass through the vein, potentially causing the drugs to flow into surrounding tissue rather than directly into the bloodstream.
A court filing described pentobarbital as a substance capable of damaging skin, tissue and veins.
According to the filing, both of Pike’s arms were swollen, burned and blistered when she arrived at hospital.
First Inmate Reported To Survive Lethal Injection
The Death Penalty Information Center, which tracks capital punishment in the United States, said Pike was the first inmate known to have survived after being injected with lethal doses of execution drugs.
The failed execution has renewed debate over the use of the death penalty, particularly for offenders who committed crimes while young.
The killing attracted national attention after Slemmer’s body was found with a pentagram carved into her chest.
Pike’s lawyers have previously sought clemency, citing her age at the time of the crime, childhood sexual abuse and mental health conditions, including post-traumatic stress disorder.
Witnesses Left Execution Chamber Stunned
The case had attracted additional attention because Pike was set to become the first woman executed by Tennessee in more than two centuries.
Journalists had gathered at the prison to witness her final moments and document the execution.
Instead, witnesses left the chamber stunned after Pike continued breathing following the administration of the drugs. Reports said she was even heard snoring.
Her lawyers are now pressing Governor Lee to convert her death sentence to life imprisonment without parole as she continues her recovery in hospital.
According to the Death Penalty Information Center, 18 women have been executed in the United States since 1976.
