Christa Pike, the convicted murderer who survived a botched lethal injection last Wednesday, is now conscious and talking, according to her lawyers. The prisoner remains in intensive care but has regained consciousness after being administered two doses of pentobarbital during the execution attempt.
After the second dose failed to end her life and she was heard snoring, Pike was rushed to hospital with severe injuries. Her legal team said she suffered severe damage to her arms, including horrific burns and blistering, and remains handcuffed and shackled to the bed despite her condition.
Lawyers describe recovery as unprecedented
"Against all odds, Christa Pike is conscious, speaking, and continues to receive critical medical care. Despite the severe damage she endured to her arms, she is still handcuffed and shackled to the bed. Her recovery is medically unprecedented. Her prognosis remains unclear but, at a minimum, we expect a long recovery," attorneys for Pike said in a statement.
Her legal representatives added they are grateful to the first responders and the hospital medical team "who treated Christa like a human and have provided exceptional care to her."
A spokeswoman for the Tennessee Department of Correction said she was unable to provide any further information beyond confirming that Pike remained hospitalised on Tuesday.
Expert warns of ongoing risks
Dr Joel Zivot, a professor of anaesthesiology and surgery in Atlanta who served as an expert consultant for Pike's legal team, said the development "bodes well for a good recovery." However, he cautioned that it could be weeks or even months before anyone has a clearer picture of what her recovery might entail, and whether her competency could be restored sufficiently to allow the state to attempt her execution once more.
"She's still in the ICU," he said. "She has recovered to a certain degree that she's able to be off a ventilator and able to speak, but in no way would I announce her free of further serious risk. There's still a lot of bad things that can happen here, even when everyone is doing their job well."
Court hearing scheduled
Pike's legal team are due in court on Wednesday as they seek further details surrounding the botched lethal injection. The lawyers are pursuing a court order compelling the Tennessee Department of Correction to preserve evidence, including drug lot numbers, records and other information from the September 30 attempted execution.
Chancery Court Judge I'Ashea Myles has scheduled a Wednesday morning status conference in the case.
In a statement released on Tuesday, Pike's solicitors confirmed they continue to urge Tennessee Governor Bill Lee to commute Pike's sentence to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. "Christa is a survivor and will take recovery one day at a time," her attorneys said.
Pike received the death sentence for the 1995 murder and torture of classmate Colleen Slemmer, carried out alongside her then-boyfriend Tadaryl Shipp.
