David Muir has asked the question many are curious about after Christa Pike survived her state execution last week. On Wednesday's episode of ABC's World News Tonight with David Muir, the host provided updates on the case that has gripped the country.
Muir's report comes hours after news broke that the first execution in the US since Pike's botched attempt is set to go ahead in Texas within hours.
Pike woke up after being declared brain dead
During his show, the host, 52, questioned whether killer Pike will be put to death again. He said, "A week later as doctors were preparing to declare her braindead, she woke up. Tonight we have learned what her first words were, and what is the plan now?"
He continued, "Will the state try again? [and] what her lawyers are fighting for now, tonight."
Lawyers warn new attempt likely to fail
Last week, Pike survived two lethal injections before being rushed to hospital in Nashville, where she remains. Yesterday, her lawyers confirmed she was awake and speaking, and it was revealed today that a request from staff to release her from handcuffs in hospital had been denied.
Pike's team also said any new attempt to execute her is "likely" to fail, citing a complaint filed in January detailing why Pike was likely to go through an ordeal if the lethal injection went ahead.
Medical concerns raised before execution
At a press conference earlier, lawyers explained they were told she was "brain dead" on Monday and would have her life support turned off, before she woke up on Tuesday. Her first words after waking up were also revealed.
Before her execution, lawyers argued that Pike had small, difficult-to-access veins and suffered from thrombocytosis, a blood disorder involving an abnormally high number of platelets which can increase the risk of blood clots. They warned that establishing an intravenous line could be difficult and that problems during the process could cause her significant pain.
Defence medical expert Dr Joel Zivot told the hearing that Pike could potentially feel as though she was "burning alive" if problems occurred. But the state disputed the claims. Hematologist Dr Richard Mansour told the court that Pike's recent medical records showed her veins were accessible and that medical staff had successfully completed almost all of her recent blood draws with a single needle stick.
The judge ultimately rejected most of Pike's claims and concluded that the evidence did not establish that her veins or blood disorder created a substantial risk of severe pain during lethal injection. But on September 30, the very problem her lawyers had warned about appeared to unfold inside the execution chamber.
