Tennessee Death Row Inmate Christa Pike Survives Execution, Regains Consciousness
In short
Christa Pike, a 50-year-old death row inmate in Tennessee, regained consciousness and was speaking about a week after a Sept. 30 lethal injection attempt in which she received two doses of the drug, her attorneys told a judge. They called her recovery “medically unprecedented” and said she faces a long recovery. Tennessee officials say they are investigating what went wrong.
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Christa Pike, a 50-year-old death row inmate in Tennessee, regained consciousness and was speaking about a week after a failed lethal injection attempt on Sept. 30, her attorneys told a judge. They described her recovery as “medically unprecedented” and said she was “speaking limitedly” after being placed on a ventilator, adding that they expect a long recovery. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Pike received two doses of the execution drug, according to the outlets reporting on her condition. The attempt would have made her the first woman put to death in Tennessee in 200 years, the Associated Press reported. According to the Death Penalty Information Center, she is the only person to have survived after receiving lethal injection drugs during an execution. New York Times reporting said the execution was halted after two failed attempts to administer the drug, and that she was taken from the chamber in an ambulance and then to a hospital. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
Medical experts raised possible explanations for her survival. The 5-gram dose of pentobarbital used in executions is many times the amount that should put someone in a medical coma, said Dr. Jonathan I. Groner, a retired pediatric general surgeon at Ohio State University College of Medicine who has studied lethal injections. “The fact that she woke, on one hand, says she got really little of it into her system. So that’s kind of shocking,” Groner said. “It says how badly they botched the execution.” Groner said the IV line might have been placed improperly. Dr. Joel Zivot, a professor of anesthesiology and surgery, also shared his thoughts on why the attempt failed, the AP reported. [ 3 ]
Tennessee officials say they are investigating what went wrong, and the AP reported that many details of the execution process remain secretive. Tennessee’s executioners had difficulties earlier this year with IV lines for another execution, leading to it being called off. The New York Times reported separately that Pike’s injuries could be profound. [ 1 , 3 , 4 ]
Why it matters
Pike’s survival is described by the Death Penalty Information Center as the only known case of an inmate living after receiving lethal injection drugs, putting Tennessee’s execution procedures under scrutiny. State officials say they are investigating the failed attempt, and the case is likely to feed into wider debate over how executions are carried out.
Key facts
- Christa Pike, 50, survived a lethal injection attempt in Tennessee on Sept. 30 after receiving two doses of the execution drug. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Her attorneys said she was conscious and “speaking limitedly” about a week later and called the recovery “medically unprecedented.” [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- She was placed on a ventilator after the attempt, was taken from the execution chamber in an ambulance and later to a hospital. [ 1 , 3 , 4 ]
- The Death Penalty Information Center says Pike is the only person to survive after receiving lethal injection drugs during an execution. [ 3 ]
- Tennessee officials say they are investigating what went wrong. [ 3 ]
- Medical experts cited possible drug quality and IV line placement as explanations for her survival. [ 3 ]
- The attempt would have made Pike the first woman put to death in Tennessee in 200 years. [ 3 ]
- Tennessee’s executioners had difficulties earlier this year with IV lines for another execution, leading to it being called off. [ 3 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- Exactly how Pike survived the injections. Medical experts offered possible explanations such as drug quality and IV placement, but Tennessee officials say many details of the execution process remain secretive and are under investigation.
- The extent and permanence of Pike’s injuries. One outlet reported her injuries could be profound while her attorneys said they expect a long recovery; no medical details have been released and the prognosis is not established.
- How the failed administration is described. Outlets describe two doses of the drug while one reported two failed attempts at administering it, and the state has not detailed the sequence.
- Tennessee officials say they are investigating what went wrong. Reported by a single source so far
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Tennessee attempts to execute Christa Pike by lethal injection; she receives two doses of the drug and survives. [ 3 ]
- The New York Times reports Pike regained consciousness after the failed execution and was taken from the chamber in an ambulance. [ 1 ]
- The Wall Street Journal reports Pike is conscious and speaking. [ 2 ]
- The Associated Press reports Pike’s attorneys told a judge she is “speaking limitedly” and that they expect a long recovery. [ 3 ]
- The New York Times reports Pike’s injuries could be profound. [ 4 ]