Attorneys representing death row inmate Christa Pike have spoken out following a failed lethal injection attempt at a Nashville prison. Pike, the only woman on Tennessee’s death row, survived the administration of two doses of pentobarbital during an execution procedure that lasted over an hour. Witnesses and legal counsel reported that she remained conscious, breathing, and responsive on the gurney before being transferred to an off-site medical facility for emergency treatment. Speaking at a press conference, defense attorneys emphasized that the complications and distress experienced during the event had been previously warned against. The botched execution prompted Tennessee Governor Bill Lee to suspend all upcoming state executions for the remainder of the year and order a comprehensive third-party review into the Department of Correction’s protocol. Pike was originally sentenced to death in 1996 for the 1995 murder of Colleen Slemmer in Knoxville. Her legal team continues to monitor her condition as she receives ongoing medical care.
Source: cbsnews.com
