Christa Pike has managed her first assisted steps just one week after a failed execution attempt in Tennessee left her battling for survival, according to her legal team.
The 50-year-old survived two doses of pentobarbital when authorities tried to carry out her death sentence eight days ago for the 1995 beating and stabbing murder of fellow student Colleen Slemmer. The lethal injection proved unsuccessful, and her lawyers reported that her arms suffered burns and blistering.
Recovery in hospital
During the opening days in hospital, Pike remained in an unconscious state and needed breathing assistance.
Her initial steps on Wednesday were "limited" and required assistance while mobilising. She also managed to eat solid food for the first time, her legal team confirmed.
Yet they warned in a statement that significant uncertainty persisted about her prospects from both medical and judicial standpoints, reports the Irish Mirror.
Psychological trauma
Pike was sentenced to death in 1996. The bungled execution on 30 September has heightened scrutiny of how American states carry out the death penalty. Texas on Wednesday performed the first execution in the United States since the Tennessee episode.
"While her physical recovery has been remarkable, significant questions remain about the long-term effects of what she endured," her lawyers said 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."
Legal questions remain
Pike regained consciousness on Tuesday, waking up and becoming able to communicate, her representatives confirmed. Initially described as "angry and confused" in the hours after coming round, it was further confirmed on Thursday that she continued to struggle with issues relating to concentration and memory.
Doctors have said it is too early to assess what any long-term consequences may be, her legal team added.
Numerous questions also remain surrounding Pike's legal situation, most notably whether Tennessee will seek to carry out a second execution attempt. Her lawyers have said they intend to lobby 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.
