Christa Pike has taken her first assisted steps just one week after a botched execution attempt in Tennessee left her fighting for her life, her legal team has confirmed.
Pike, 50, survived two administrations of pentobarbital as authorities attempted to carry out her death sentence eight days ago for the 1995 beating and stabbing murder of fellow student Colleen Slemmer. The lethal drug failed to kill her, and her solicitors reported her arms sustained burns and blistering.
Recovery and first steps
In the early days of her hospitalisation, Pike remained unconscious and required ventilation. Her first steps on Wednesday were "limited" and she required some assistance while walking. She was also able to eat for the first time, her legal representatives confirmed.
However, they also warned in a statement that considerable uncertainty remained regarding her future, both physically and legally, reports the Irish Mirror.
Legal and psychological aftermath
The failed execution on 30 September has intensified scrutiny of how states administer capital punishment. Texas on Wednesday carried out the first execution in the United States since the Tennessee incident.
"While her physical recovery has been remarkable, significant questions remain about the long-term effects of what she endured," her solicitors stated on Thursday. "Christa is dealing with the profound psychological trauma of having survived a failed execution, including the terror, pain and uncertainty of believing she was about to die."
Pike regained consciousness on Tuesday, waking up and becoming able to communicate, her representatives confirmed. She was initially described as "angry and confused" in the hours after she came round, with further confirmation on Thursday that she continued to experience difficulties with concentration and memory.
Medical professionals have said it is too early to assess what any long-term consequences may be, according to her legal team.
Questions over next steps
A number of questions also remain over Pike's legal future, particularly whether Tennessee will seek another execution attempt. Her lawyers have said they intend to push for Republican Governor Bill Lee to commute her death sentence to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
"She should never be subjected to another execution attempt," the statement read.
