Executioners delivering a lethal injection to the first death row inmate to be killed since Christa Pike survived hers breathed a 'sigh of relief' as the drugs worked. Jamaal Howard, 46, died in Texas after being handed the death sentence in 2001. He is the next person to be executed in the US after Pike, 50, was left on a ventilator following two failed lethal injection attempts. According to Pike's lawyer, she is now 'conscious, speaking and continues to receive medical care'.
Witness describes tense atmosphere
Jamaal's spiritual advisor Dr Jeff Hood said the room was 'clearly nervous', and they were 'expecting something to go wrong'. He told Metro: 'I have attended 14 executions, and I could definitely sense this time they were being extra careful and extra cautious, leaning in all the time. Christa Pike was part of the conversation throughout.'
'Jamaal started snoring and snorting, but around 20 minutes later he had died. The room breathed a sigh of relief after he died. But imagine that – feeling relieved that someone had died.'
Background of the case
Jamaal was found guilty of murdering petrol station worker Vicky Swartout in May 2000. Aged 20, he had stolen his granddad's gun before firing at Vicky. Police say he was remorseless, and stole a carton of cigarettes and less than £100 as Vicky lay dying beneath him. He was put on Death Row in April 2001.
Jamaal had an IQ of 65, less than the 70 needed to be declared intellectually disabled. But prosecutors pushed for him to be sentenced to death. At 17, he was shot in the head. Up until he died, he referred to his traumatic brain injury as just 'holes in his head'.
Dr Jeff said: 'It's a horror show for everyone involved. It is evil and it is disturbing. They had to medicate him for his brain injury, just to kill him.'
Pike's condition and recovery
It is not known what caused Pike's lethal injections to fail. Her arms were left burned and blistered after the executioner struggled to find a vein. Tennessee authorities have not confirmed whether they will try and execute her again. She is walking around in her room in a 'foggy state', one of her lawyers, Stephen Farrell, told BBC Radio 4 today.
He said: 'She is up and walking for the first time today, but just around the room, not very far. Mentally, it's kind of good and bad – good that she's fairly with it, but she's also somewhat foggy and she can forget her train of thought.' He added that Pike is not 'mentally completely recovered.'
Pike was reportedly previously handcuffed to her bed, but her lawyer did not say whether she has been unlocked. While Pike is able to communicate in a 'basic way,' she has no memory of the execution, her representatives said previously. A member of Pike's legal team, Randy Spivey, says that when Pike woke up on Tuesday, her first question was: 'Where am I and who are you?'
'She is very aware of what they did to her', Mr Spivey said. 'But there is still some cognitive impairment.' She has also asked a number of questions, including about the family of Colleen Slemmer, the woman she murdered three decades ago.
