Christa Pike remains in critical condition following a harrowing and failed execution attempt in Tennessee, according to her legal team. Nearly 24 hours after she was scheduled to be put to death for a murder committed when she was 18, her prognosis is uncertain. Randall Spivey, one of Pike’s lawyers, stated he is haunted by the events of the evening. At least seven needles were used in an attempt to administer the lethal injection, with at least one appearing bent upon removal from her left arm. Furthermore, her right arm turned purple following the second round of pentobarbital, and lawyers reported blistering and burning around the injection sites. Witnesses inside the execution chamber noted that the 50-year-old complained her arm felt like it was about to burst open and continued to make snoring sounds, groan, and move after the drugs were presumably dispensed. Five minutes after the second dose, it was evident she was still breathing, leading to an ambulance being called to the Nashville prison at 8:50 p.m. Medical experts suggest these injuries align with the intravenous line infiltrating, meaning the drug leaked into surrounding tissue instead of entering the bloodstream directly. Stephen Ferrell, another attorney representing Pike, noted that she had lifelong venous issues and a deep fear of a prolonged, painful death via this method. Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has stayed her execution pending a third-party investigation into the incident, calling the occurrence a tragedy. This marks the second time this year that an execution in Tennessee has not gone according to plan, following a May incident involving Tony Carruthers. Pike’s conviction stems from the 1995 torture and murder of Colleen Slemmer in Knoxville, a crime for which she spent decades on death row.
Source: nbcnews.com
