Christa Pike's death sentence could be overturned after a botched execution attempt left her fighting for her life in hospital. The 50-year-old prisoner received two lethal injections on Wednesday before being rushed to hospital when the drugs failed to kill her and she began snoring. The murderer, who was just 20 when she was sentenced to death in 1996, is now being guarded at her hospital bed.
Lawyers Push for Commutation
Lawyers representing Pike described her as being in "critical condition" and receiving life-saving care and are pushing for her death sentence to be overturned. Stephen Ferrell told CNN: "I think, at the very least, the governor should commute Ms Pike’s death sentence to a life sentence. We don’t know what her physical state will be, but it is clear that she has endured a torturous attempt at executing her."
Pike's lawyers had previously tried to take action to stop her execution, including arguing that the experience of receiving the lethal injection would be an example of "cruel and unusual punishment" as it would remind her of several traumatic episodes of physical and sexual abuse she suffered as a child.
Executions Paused in Tennessee
The Tennessee state governor has announced that no more executions will take place this year. That announcement will no doubt come as good news for Gary Wayne Sutton, 57, who was scheduled to receive capital punishment this December. Wayne, who has been on death row for 34 years after he was convicted of murdering brother and sister Tommy Griffin, 24, and Connie Branam, 34, although he has always maintained his innocence. Along with his uncle, Wayne was found guilty of shooting Griffin in the head, while Branam was found in her burned-out vehicle.
Legal representatives said that the situation had not given them any real "joy", especially considering how much Christa Pike had seemingly suffered and is still suffering. A statement read: "nobody should be forced to suffer the way Christa Pike did this week and Tony Carruthers did in May. Still, we are relieved that Governor Lee is taking the deep problems with the state's execution protocols seriously, and we are thankful that Gary's execution has been paused."
Previous Botched Execution
Tony Carruthers is another Tennessee death row inmate whose execution had to be halted back in May after officials failed to find the vein to inject the substance into. Unlike Pike, his killing was halted before any drug was administered into the body. Christa Pike, 50, was convicted of murder and placed on death row after she brutally murdered her 19-year-old classmate Colleen Slemmer in back in January 1995 when Pike was 18.
