Christa Pike conscious and speaking after failed Tennessee execution, lawyers say
Version 3: Pike's attorneys now say she is conscious and speaking after nearly a week in critical condition, and they have renewed their call for her sentence to be commuted, with a news conference planned for Wednesday.
In short
Christa Pike, 50, is conscious and speaking and receiving critical medical care nearly a week after Tennessee's attempt to execute her with the drug pentobarbital failed, her attorneys said Tuesday. They said her prognosis remains unclear, that she remains handcuffed and shackled to her hospital bed despite severe damage to her arms, and that at a minimum they expect a long recovery. Pike's legal team is asking Gov. Bill Lee to commute her death sentence to life without parole, after the state's top prison official resigned and Lee paused executions for the rest of the year.
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Attorneys for Christa Pike said in a statement on Tuesday that she is conscious, speaking and continuing to receive critical medical care, describing her recovery as medically unprecedented and her prognosis as unclear. “At a minimum, we expect a long recovery,” attorneys Randy Spivey and Kelly Gleason said, according to NBC News, CBS News and other outlets. They said Pike, 50, remains handcuffed and shackled to her bed despite severe damage to her arms, and thanked the first responders and the hospital medical team “who treated Christa like a human.” The statement was the first indication she had improved since an ambulance carried her away from a Nashville prison on the night of Sept. 30, The Guardian reported. NBC News said the attorneys will hold a news conference on Wednesday. [ 12 , 13 , 14 , 25 , 26 ]
Tennessee prison officials gave Pike two doses of the barbiturate pentobarbital in an attempt to execute her on Sept. 30; the drug did not kill her. She was hospitalised, placed on a ventilator and treated under guard while staff worked to clear the drug from her system, her attorneys said. NBC News reported that her attorneys believe problems with the IV lines may have caused the pentobarbital to flow into her body instead of her bloodstream. The Guardian reported that witnesses described hearing her choke and struggle for an hour after the first injection. [ 1 , 3 , 13 , 15 ]
Pike was convicted and sentenced to death for the 1995 murder of her classmate Colleen Slemmer, who was 19 when she was killed. Pike was 18 at the time, and became one of the youngest women sent to death row. She would have been the first woman executed in Tennessee in 200 years, according to NBC News and The Guardian. [ 1 , 3 , 10 , 13 , 15 ]
After the failed execution, Tennessee's top prison official, Frank Strada, resigned; Gov. Bill Lee announced the resignation on Saturday and ordered an independent review, NBC News reported. Strada said he believed the Department of Correction had carried out its responsibilities “in accordance with the established protocol,” but that stepping aside was in the “best interest of Tennesseans as the independent review moves forward.” CBS News reported that Lee paused executions for the rest of the year and canceled the state's next and last execution scheduled for this year. The New York Post also reported that President Donald Trump commented on the failed execution. [ 8 , 10 , 13 ]
Pike's legal team is asking the state to commute her death sentence to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. Lawyer Stephen Ferrell told CBS Mornings that the state should “take death off the table,” renewing an earlier request the governor denied before the lethal injection. The New York Post reported Ferrell said he did not think attempting another execution would bring justice. CBS News reported that Ferrell said it may still be a long time before Pike is able to participate in the legal process. [ 9 , 10 , 13 , 15 ]
Several points remain unconfirmed. Pike's attorneys said her prognosis is unclear, that she gave someone medical power of attorney who is protecting her privacy, and that the attorneys have not identified that person. The claim that Pike is the only person known to have survived a complete execution attempt in the US comes from her attorneys, in a statement reported by The Guardian. The New York Post reported she is the first death row inmate to survive an injection of pentobarbital, a characterisation that appears only in that outlet. [ 8 , 13 , 15 ]
Why it matters
The failed execution has already changed Tennessee's practice: the Department of Correction commissioner stepped down and Gov. Bill Lee ordered an independent review and paused executions for the rest of the year, according to CBS News and NBC News. Pike's attorneys say her recovery is medically unprecedented and are asking the state to commute her sentence, leaving open both her long-term condition and whether Tennessee will ever carry out the sentence.
Key facts
- Pike is conscious, speaking and receiving critical medical care, her attorneys said in a statement on Tuesday. [ 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 25 , 26 ]
- Tennessee prison officials gave Pike two doses of the barbiturate pentobarbital on Sept. 30; the drug did not kill her and she was hospitalised. [ 1 , 3 , 13 , 15 ]
- Her attorneys said she remains handcuffed and shackled to her bed despite severe damage to her arms, and that her prognosis is unclear but that they expect a long recovery at minimum. [ 13 , 15 ]
- Pike was convicted and sentenced to death for the 1995 murder of her classmate Colleen Slemmer; Pike was 18 at the time. [ 1 , 3 , 10 , 13 , 15 ]
- Tennessee's top prison official, Frank Strada, resigned after the failed execution. [ 3 , 8 , 10 , 13 ]
- Gov. Bill Lee ordered an independent review of the failed execution, paused executions for the rest of the year and canceled the state's next and last execution scheduled for this year, according to CBS News and NBC News. [ 10 , 13 ]
- Pike's attorneys are asking the state to commute her death sentence to life in prison without the possibility of parole. [ 9 , 10 , 13 , 15 ]
- Pike, 50, would have been the first woman executed in Tennessee in 200 years, according to NBC News and The Guardian. [ 1 , 3 , 13 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Pike is conscious and speaking and continues to receive critical medical care, according to statements from her attorneys. [ 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 ]
- Tennessee prison officials administered two doses of pentobarbital on Sept. 30 and the execution attempt failed; Pike was taken to a hospital and placed on a ventilator. [ 1 , 3 , 6 , 13 , 15 ]
- Pike was convicted and sentenced to death for the 1995 murder of her classmate Colleen Slemmer. [ 1 , 3 , 8 , 10 , 13 , 15 ]
- Tennessee's top prison official resigned after the failed execution. [ 3 , 8 , 10 , 13 ]
- Gov. Bill Lee ordered an independent review of the failed execution and paused executions for the rest of the year. [ 10 , 13 ]
- Pike's attorneys are asking the governor to commute her death sentence to life imprisonment without parole. [ 9 , 10 , 13 , 15 ]
- Attorneys said Pike remains handcuffed and shackled to her hospital bed despite injuries to her arms. [ 13 , 15 ]
Still unclear
- Whether and how fully Pike will recover Her attorneys said the prognosis remains unclear, calling her recovery medically unprecedented and saying they expect a long recovery at minimum.
- What caused the execution to fail Pike's attorneys have said they believe problems with the IV lines may have caused the pentobarbital to flow into her body instead of her bloodstream; Gov. Bill Lee has ordered an independent review whose findings are not reported in the documents.
- Whether Tennessee will attempt to execute Pike again and how the governor will respond to the commutation request Pike's attorneys renewed the request after an earlier one was denied; no decision is reported. CBS News said the governor canceled the state's next and last execution scheduled for this year.
- Who holds Pike's medical power of attorney and is making her medical decisions Pike's lawyer said she gave someone medical power of attorney, that the person is protecting her privacy, and that the attorneys have not identified that person.
- Whether Pike is the only person known to have survived a complete execution attempt in the US Stated by her attorneys in a statement reported by The Guardian; no other document carries the claim.
- President Donald Trump's comments on the failed execution Mentioned only by the New York Post, which did not quote him directly.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Tennessee prison officials give Pike two doses of pentobarbital at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution; the execution fails and she is taken to a hospital and placed on a ventilator. [ 1 , 3 , 6 , 13 , 15 ]
- Gov. Bill Lee announces the resignation of Frank Strada, the state's top prison official; Strada says the Department of Correction carried out its responsibilities in accordance with the established protocol. [ 3 , 8 , 10 , 13 ]
- The Associated Press reports Pike has remained unconscious and on a ventilator in the four days since her failed execution, with her prognosis possibly unknown for days more. [ 1 ]
- CNN reports, citing her attorney, that Pike remains in the hospital and is critically ill. [ 2 ]
- PBS NewsHour reports lawyer Stephen Ferrell's remarks on CNN and notes the state's prisons chief is resigning. [ 3 ]
- The New York Post reports Pike may never fully recover and remains unconscious in a heavily guarded hospital room. [ 8 ]
- The New York Post reports Ferrell is calling for Pike's death sentence to be thrown out, saying another execution attempt would not bring justice. [ 9 ]
- CBS News reports her lawyers are pushing for a commuted sentence, that it is still unclear whether she will regain consciousness, and that Gov. Bill Lee canceled the state's next and last execution scheduled for this year. [ 10 ]
- The Associated Press reports that Pike's attorneys say she is conscious and speaking. [ 12 ]
- The Guardian reports the attorneys' statement that Pike is awake and speaking, that she remains handcuffed and shackled, and that they are asking the governor to commute her sentence. [ 15 ]
- The Hill reports that Pike is alive and speaking nearly a week after the failed execution. [ 26 ]