Christa Pike awake and speaking week after botched execution, attorneys say
A woman from Tennessee, Christa Pike, who survived a failed lethal injection attempt, is now conscious and speaking nearly a week later, after receiving medical treatment at a Nashville hospital. her attorneys report that despite severe injuries, she has shown unprecedented recovery and remains shackled to her hospital bed.Pike was scheduled for execution on September 30, but teh court delayed it to review her claims related to childhood sexual abuse. The execution proceeded after the Supreme Court’s approval, resulting in a botched attempt where Pike was still alive after two doses of pentobarbital, leading to her being transported to a hospital. Her legal team notes that medical staff provided extraordinary care, and she is expected to have a long recovery. Pike was convicted in 1996 of first-degree murder for killing her classmate at age 18 along with her then-17-year-old boyfriend, who received life imprisonment. The botched execution prompted the resignation of Corrections Commissioner Frank Strada, and Pike’s attorneys intend to challenge the actions taken during the failed procedure. the case has garnered attention as she was to be the first woman executed in Tennessee in over 200 years.
A Tennessee woman who survived two doses of lethal injection is awake and speaking nearly a week after attempts to execute her failed, leaving her unconscious and intubated in a Nashville hospital.
Attorneys for Christa Pike, 50, said the convicted murderer is conscious and speaking following days of receiving medical treatment to clear the lethal drug administered during her execution attempt.
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“Against all odds, Christa Pike is conscious, speaking, and continues to receive critical medical care,” Pike’s attorneys said in a statement. “Despite the severe damage she endured to her arms, she is still handcuffed and shackled to the bed. Her recovery is medically unprecedented. Her prognosis remains unclear but, at a minimum, we expect a long recovery.”
Pike’s execution was supposed to take place at 10 a.m. Sept. 30, but the court delayed the execution to consider Pike’s challenge regarding her history of childhood sexual abuse. After the Supreme Court allowed the execution to take place, with three justices nominated by Democratic presidents dissenting, the botched execution occurred on Wednesday night.
Pike was still alive after being administered two lethal doses of pentobarbital last week, after which she was transported to a nearby hospital. Her attorneys previously said she could be heard “crying and whimpering” before saying her arm felt like it was “about to burst open.” Additionally, lawyers for Pike stated that “one needle was bent at a 90-degree angle when it was removed.”
Pike’s legal team is not communicating directly with doctors but rather through an individual given medical power of attorney by Pike, assistant federal defender Stephen Ferrell said on Sunday.
Pike was convicted of first-degree murder and conspiracy charges and sentenced to death in 1996, when she was 20. Pike was convicted and sentenced for murdering her classmate, Colleen Slemmer, when she was 18, alongside Pike’s then-17-year-old boyfriend, Tadaryl Shipp, who was sentenced to life in prison.
On Tuesday, Pike’s attorneys praised the medical staff treating her, saying they “treated Christa like a human and have provided exceptional care to her.”
The legal team for Pike is due to appear in court on Wednesday. Her attorneys previously requested that the evidence showing the “incompetent and reckless actions” during the execution be preserved.
Corrections Commissioner Frank Strada announced his resignation following Pike’s botched execution. Strada said his stepping down was “in the best interest of Tennesseans” as an independent review examines what happened with Pike’s execution attempt.
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