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Death row inmate Christa Pike has regained consciousness and is speaking after surviving two doses of lethal injection during a failed execution in Tennessee, according to her attorneys.
Death row inmate Christa Pike has regained consciousness and begun speaking nearly a week after surviving a botched execution in Tennessee, according to her attorneys.
Pike, 50, reportedly asked, “Where am I and who are you?” after waking up in a hospital following the failed execution attempt on September 30 in Nashville.
Her attorney, Randy Spivey of the Tennessee Office of the Post-Conviction Defender, said Pike had initially been placed on a ventilator and was believed to have suffered severe neurological damage.
According to Spivey, Pike unexpectedly regained consciousness on Tuesday and began speaking, surprising those caring for her. He said she remains confused but is aware that the state attempted to execute her.
Pike continues to receive medical treatment and has been diagnosed with pneumonia and a blood clot in one of her arms. Her attorneys said both of her arms and hands remain severely swollen and that it is not yet known how much function she will regain.
Her legal team described her recovery as medically unprecedented and said she faces a long physical and psychological recovery.
Pike was sentenced to death for the 1995 murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer. She is the only woman currently on Tennessee’s death row.
Her September 30 execution involved the administration of two doses of pentobarbital, but the procedure was halted after medical complications prevented the execution from being completed.
Court documents filed by Pike’s attorneys allege that medical staff struggled to establish intravenous access and used at least seven needles. One needle was reportedly removed after bending at a sharp angle.
The attorneys also alleged that Pike cried, whimpered and complained that her arm felt as though it was about to burst during the procedure. They said her arms were swollen, burned and blistered when she was taken to hospital.
Pike had raised concerns about the execution method before her scheduled execution, arguing that her medical conditions and small veins created a significant risk of unnecessary pain and suffering.
Her attorneys have since asked Tennessee Governor Bill Lee to commute her death sentence to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
A court has also granted a motion requiring the Tennessee Department of Correction to preserve physical, written and electronic evidence connected to the execution attempt. The evidence is expected to be relevant to ongoing legal proceedings and investigations into what happened during the procedure.
The Death Penalty Information Center has described Pike as the first reported person to survive lethal injection after receiving the execution drugs.
Following the failed execution, Governor Lee ordered a temporary halt to scheduled executions in Tennessee. Tennessee Department of Correction Commissioner Frank Strada also resigned days after the incident.
Governor Lee has appointed former U.S. Attorney Ed Stanton to conduct an independent review of the execution attempt. The review will examine whether the state followed its execution protocol and whether changes are necessary.
Pike remains hospitalised as her attorneys continue to seek information about her medical condition and the circumstances surrounding the failed execution.
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