Christa Pike Regains Consciousness After Failed Tennessee Execution/ TezzBuzz/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Christa Pike has regained consciousness after surviving Tennessee’s Sept. 30 attempt to execute her by lethal injection. Her attorneys say she remains under critical medical care and are seeking preservation of evidence ahead of a Wednesday court hearing. Gov. Bill Lee has ordered an independent review and postponed the state’s only other execution scheduled this year.
Quick Look
- Medical condition: Pike is conscious and speaking, but her prognosis remains uncertain.
- Failed execution: The 50-year-old survived two doses of pentobarbital administered Sept. 30.
- Reported injuries: Her attorneys say her arms were burned and blistered and that she remains handcuffed to a hospital bed.
- Court proceedings: A Wednesday morning status conference is scheduled in Nashville.
- Evidence request: Attorneys want drug lot numbers, needles, execution logs and other materials preserved.
- State response: Tennessee officials argue that existing obligations already require preservation of the evidence.
- Possible explanation: Experts are examining whether an IV problem caused the drug to enter surrounding tissue rather than the bloodstream.
Deep Look
Christa Pike Is Conscious Following Failed Lethal Injection
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Death row inmate Christa Pike has regained consciousness after Tennessee’s unsuccessful attempt to execute her last week.
Pike, 50, survived two doses of pentobarbital administered Sept. 30. She was sentenced to death for the 1995 beating and stabbing death of her classmate Colleen Slemmer.
She is believed to be the only person to have survived an execution attempt after lethal injection drugs were administered.
“Against all odds, Christa Pike is conscious, speaking, and continues to receive critical medical care,” her attorneys said in a statement.
They said her prognosis remains unclear and that she faces, at minimum, a lengthy recovery.
Attorneys Report Arm Injuries and Seek Evidence Preservation
Pike’s lawyers said her arms were burned and blistered following the attempted execution and that she is handcuffed to her hospital bed.
They are asking a court to order the Tennessee Department of Correction to preserve materials that could help establish what happened.
Their request includes drug lot numbers, needles, execution logs and other information associated with the procedure.
Chancery Court Judge I’Ashea Myles has scheduled a Wednesday morning status conference in Nashville as the attorneys seek further details from prison officials.
Tennessee Says Evidence Is Already Subject to Preservation Duties
In a Tuesday court filing, lawyers for the Tennessee attorney general’s office argued that an additional preservation order was unnecessary.
They said the prison system is “obliged to maintain this evidence in other cases and must assure it is preserved.”
The filing also stated that officials had taken “the necessary steps to obtain medical care for Pike and ascertain what occurred.”
The court proceedings will address the attorneys’ efforts to obtain information and safeguard evidence from the failed execution.
Governor Orders Independent Review and Postpones Execution
Republican Gov. Bill Lee described the incident as “deeply disturbing.”
He ordered a “comprehensive, third-party review to determine exactly what occurred.”
Lee also postponed Tennessee’s only other execution scheduled for this year.
The review comes as questions remain about how the lethal injection procedure failed and why Pike survived.
Experts Examine Possible IV Line Failure
Medical and lethal injection experts have focused on whether a problem with the intravenous line caused pentobarbital to collect in Pike’s tissue instead of entering her bloodstream.
That possibility has not been established as the final explanation.
In their court filing, Pike’s attorneys alleged that “apparently at no point did any member of the execution team realize that the IV lines were not correctly placed or that the veins had blown.”
Their claim adds to scrutiny of how the injection was administered and monitored.
Timeline Shows Pike Reported Pain Before Hospital Transfer
The execution attempt began around 7:30 p.m. Sept. 30when Pike was offered an opportunity to make a final statement.
Approximately five minutes later, she raised her head and said her arm hurt.
She appeared to lose consciousness at some point, but witnesses could still hear her breathing until reporters were escorted from the witness room at 8:53 p.m.
An ambulance arrived at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution at 9:14 p.m. to transport her to a hospital.
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