Christa Pike is conscious and speaking in hospital after Tennessee’s failed attempt to execute her by lethal injection, her lawyers have said.
The 50-year-old remains shackled to a hospital bed and is receiving critical care at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, nearly a week after the execution was attempted on September 30.
Her attorneys said Pike’s arms were severely damaged during the procedure and that her prognosis remained unclear. “At a minimum, we expect a long recovery,” they said.
Pike had to be connected to a ventilator after medical staff were unable to administer two lethal doses of pentobarbital successfully. Her lawyers said at least seven needles were used, leaving her arms “swollen, burned, and blistered”.
A court filing alleged that one needle was bent at a 90-degree angle when it was removed. It said Pike eventually offered guidance on where the medical team could try to establish intravenous access.
Her lawyers claim the IV lines were incorrectly placed, causing the drug to enter surrounding tissue rather than her bloodstream. They said a second set of syringes was prepared and administered instead of the problem being identified and corrected.
During the procedure, Pike was heard crying, whimpering and breathing loudly, according to her attorneys. She reportedly said: “My arm feels like it’s about to burst open,” and later asked: “Does this happen like that?”
Her lawyers said doctors had been working to remove pentobarbital from her body. They thanked the hospital staff, saying they had “treated Christa like a human and have provided exceptional care to her”.
Luke Ihnen, one of Pike’s lawyers with Federal Defender Services of Eastern Tennessee, said the legal team was working with those closest to her to respect her wishes, protect her privacy and safeguard her rights as a patient.
“We ask that the public and the media respect that privacy as well,” he said.
Tennessee execution review
The update came after Frank Strada, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Correction, announced that he would resign later this month. Governor Bill Lee said an interim commissioner would be appointed.
Mr Strada oversaw the attempted execution. He said it was a “great honor” to serve in the role and that he continued to believe the department had acted in accordance with established protocol.
“Even so, stepping aside is in the best interest of Tennesseans as the independent review moves forward,” he said, describing the inquiry as “entirely appropriate and necessary”.
Pike’s lawyers are seeking to preserve all evidence from the failed execution, saying this is necessary to establish accountability and protect her legal rights.
She has spent 30 years on death row after being convicted of the 1995 murder of her Knoxville Jobs Corps classmate, Colleen Slemmer.
Pike’s then-boyfriend, Tadaryl Shipp, helped lure Slemmer to a wooded area, while an accomplice, Shadolla Peterson, acted as a lookout, according to evidence from the case. Pike and Shipp were convicted of first-degree murder; Pike received a death sentence, while Shipp was sentenced to life with the possibility of parole.
Hours before Pike was taken from prison, a US appeals court had issued a stay of execution after a judge agreed to consider whether childhood sexual abuse she suffered had been taken into account when she was sentenced. The execution later went ahead but failed.
