Christa Pike, the 50-year-old convicted murderer, has returned to death row after being hospitalised following a botched execution attempt. She survived two lethal injections on September 30 and is now back at the Deborah K. Johnson Rehabilitation Centre, the women's facility where she had been held for 30 years. She continues to receive medical care at the prison, according to the Daily Express.
Lawyers Confirm Recovery
Her lawyers said on Saturday: "She is grateful to the first responders and her medical team for their care in these extraordinary circumstances. She is continuing to receive medical care at the prison, and we will continue to track her recovery."
Pike had been in a hospital since the failed execution. At one point, she was on a ventilator, and her attorneys did not expect her to survive, though they said Pike woke up and began talking and walking with assistance.
Execution Attempt Details
Pike was sentenced to death for the January 1995 beating and stabbing death of classmate Colleen Slemmer. The state attempted to execute her with two doses of pentobarbital. The Death Penalty Information Center says Pike is the first person to survive after receiving lethal injection drugs during an execution. The Tennessee Department of Correction has not said what went wrong.
Medical and lethal injection experts have focused on whether a problem with the IV line caused the drug to pool in her tissue instead of entering her bloodstream. Pike's attorneys wrote in a court filing that "apparently at no point did any member of the execution team realise that the IV lines were not correctly placed."
What Happened During the Execution
As the process got underway, Pike was asked if she had a final statement, and she said she was at peace. About five minutes later, she raised her head and said her arm hurt. Later, she appeared to lose consciousness but could be heard breathing heavily until media witnesses were escorted from the witness room nearly 90 minutes into the execution. An ambulance took her to a hospital.
Political Reaction
Questions are mounting over what could happen if Tennessee tries to execute Pike for a second time. The state is set to elect a new governor in November, with Republican candidate Marsha Blackburn currently the favourite in the polls to succeed Bill Lee when his second term ends. Blackburn has suggested the electric chair should be used following the failed lethal injection. Speaking about Pike's case, she said: "While there should be a thorough review of what happened and why the process failed, the answer is simple: bring back the electric chair and deliver justice for these victims swiftly."
