Lawyers for death row inmate Christa Pike have revealed she is suffering from a blood clot and pneumonia and is unable to swallow, in a major health update delivered outside court. The update comes after the botched execution survivor was described as "awake and talking" in hospital, where she remains shackled with "severely burned" arms.
Health update outside court
Speaking after securing a court order to preserve all evidence from the failed execution attempt, Pike's counsel said she has a blood clot and pneumonia and has not yet eaten because she is "unable to swallow". They added that she cannot move either of her arms and that both hands are extremely swollen, and that they do not know what functions she will be able to regain.
No explanation for survival
The lawyer also said they had "no explanation" for how Pike survived, noting that they initially thought she was braindead. Pike previously survived two lethal injections in an unprecedented case.
