Six days after Tennessee authorities attempted to execute her by lethal injection, 50-year-old Christa Pike has woken up and begun communicating.
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Her attorneys, Randy Spivey and Kelly Gleason, said she continues to receive intensive care, while her health remains critical.
“Against all odds, Christa Pike is conscious, speaking and continuing to receive intensive medical care,” her legal representatives said.
According to her attorneys, she suffered severe injuries to her arms and remains handcuffed and restrained to her hospital bed.
“From a medical standpoint, her recovery is unprecedented. The prognosis remains uncertain, but we expect the recovery process to be lengthy,” they said.
The execution was scheduled for September 30 at the Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville. The prison team administered two doses of pentobarbital to Pike, but they did not cause her death.
After the unsuccessful attempt, the 50-year-old remained unconscious and was kept on mechanical ventilation. At the time, her attorneys expressed fears that she might have suffered brain damage.
Dr. Joel Zivot, who advised Pike’s legal team, told the Associated Press that her ability to breathe without the help of a ventilator and to speak was an encouraging sign.
However, the expert emphasized that a serious risk to her health remains.
“She still has a long road ahead toward recovery. At least seven needles were used in her left arm alone,” Zivot said.
The problems began when the prison team was unable to find a vein in which to place the intravenous line.
Randy Spivey, who closely observed the procedure, said he counted at least seven needles used in Pike’s left arm.
He said one of them appeared to be bent when it was removed after an unsuccessful attempt. The attorneys also said that Pike had tried to help the staff by showing them where veins might be found.
“She was cooperating and trying to guide the people who were placing the intravenous lines,” attorney Stephen Ferrell said.
After the incident, a photograph was released showing extensive injuries to Pike’s arms. According to her attorneys, they were swollen, burned and covered in blisters.
Spivey described the procedure as “ineffective, cruel and torturous” and called on the authorities not to carry out another execution attempt.
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee ordered an independent investigation into the incident and suspended executions in the state until the end of the year.
Frank Strada, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Correction, also resigned after the incident. He had overseen five executions that, according to reports, had been accompanied by serious problems.
Christa Pike is on death row after being convicted of murdering her college friend, 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer, in 1995. Authorities have said that Slemmer was tortured and beaten to death, after which Pike took a piece of the victim’s skull.
Just one hour before the execution, the procedure was temporarily halted. The attorneys argued that the abuse Pike had experienced during childhood had not been properly taken into account during the sentencing process. The U.S. Supreme Court later lifted the stay, clearing the way for the execution.
During the procedure, journalist Will Puckett, who was in the execution chamber, said he heard Pike breathing and making sounds resembling snoring or choking.
According to his testimony, her breathing was rhythmic but occasionally became labored. At one point, Pike’s body rose from the bed, forming a “V,” and then collapsed back onto it.
Tennessee authorities have not yet announced whether they will attempt to execute Christa Pike again. Meanwhile, her attorneys have asked Governor Bill Lee to commute her death sentence to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
