A Tennessee judge has granted an emergency motion to preserve all physical, written, and electronic evidence related to the botched execution of Christa Pike, the lone woman on the state’s death row. Pike survived two lethal doses of pentobarbital during the failed Sept. 30 execution attempt in Nashville and remains hospitalized following the incident. Davidson County Chancellor I’Ashea Myles ordered the Tennessee Department of Correction to maintain all photographs, surveillance footage, drugs, syringes, IV lines, medical waste, logs, and communications concerning the execution attempt and any deviations from protocol. Pike’s attorneys argued that the failed procedure constituted cruel and unusual punishment under the U.S. Constitution. Luke Ihnen, an attorney with the Federal Defender Services of Eastern Tennessee, stated that Pike recently regained consciousness and is speaking limitedly after being critically injured and temporarily placed on a ventilator. Assistant Attorney General Will Ayers told the court that the state is cooperating with defense counsel and that physical evidence has already been logged into a preservation room, though certain items like portions of IV lines may have remained attached to Pike during her hospital transport. Court filings from Pike’s defense team allege that she was heard crying and stating her arm felt like it was about to burst, with at least seven needles used and one bent at a 90-degree angle. The motion noted that Pike suffered from conditions including small veins and post-traumatic stress disorder, which made severe pain and complications foreseeable. In response to the botched execution, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee ordered a temporary halt to scheduled executions, and TDOC Commissioner Frank Strada resigned. The governor also appointed former U.S. Attorney Ed Stanton to conduct an independent review of the execution attempt to determine whether established protocols were followed.
Source: abcnews.com
