Christa Pike remains critically ill and on a ventilator at a Tennessee hospital after surviving two lethal injection attempts. Her attorney, Stephen Ferrell, said doctors are working to clear the large doses of pentobarbital from her system while she remains under strict police custody.
Pike, 50, was taken to a hospital after the execution was halted. Her attorneys said medical staff remain uncertain about how she survived the procedure and warned that she could suffer permanent health consequences.
Witnesses said Pike complained of severe pain in one of her arms during the execution, telling those around her that it felt as though her arm was about to burst. The procedure was eventually suspended after the second round of injections failed to kill her.
Before the execution, Pike said she was at peace and described the day as “a happy day.” She had been scheduled to die for the 1995 murder of a young woman whom she tortured and killed in a Tennessee forest.
Following the failed execution, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee ordered an independent review to determine what went wrong and suspended all executions scheduled in the state for the remainder of the year. Pike’s legal status remains uncertain as authorities have not determined whether they will attempt another execution.
