Christa Pike's attorneys says inmate is in critical condition after botched execution

Tennessee death row inmate Christa Pike's attorneys told reporters Thursday that their client is still alive and in critical condition after she survived two lethal injections on Wednesday night and that lifesaving medical care is being administered. 

Pike, who was convicted of killing former classmate Colleen Slemmer in 1995 when she was just 18-years-old, was initially scheduled to be executed Wednesday morning, but it was delayed after an appeals court stayed the execution. The Supreme Court later ruled the execution could move forward if it was carried out before midnight.

Pike's attorneys Randy Spivey and Stephen Ferrell said their client's prognosis and current health status are not clear, but that she is in critical condition and is receiving lifesaving medical care at a local hospital, according to NBC News. 

“I’m haunted by last night,” Spivey said. “Last night was not just inefficient; it was cruel and it was torturous."  

The attorneys claimed at least seven needles were used to administer the lethal injection into Pike’s left arm over the course of an hour and that she was “continuing to show signs of life” after at least two full doses of the lethal drug, pentobarbital.

Spivey said Pike had venous issues throughout her life, noting problems with typical blood draws, and Ferrell said she feared problems with the execution and had requested a different method of execution.

“I do know that that really was her biggest fear,” Ferrell said. “It was not a fear of dying. It was a fear of a prolonged, painful, traumatic death, and that’s what happened minus the death.”

Tennessee Republican Gov. Bill Lee has halted a third execution attempt in light of Wednesday's issues and has ordered a "comprehensive, third-party review to determine exactly what occurred." The next attempt will not take place this year.

“This is a tragedy. There is no one that wanted what happened last night to happen. It shouldn’t have happened,” Lee said. “Carrying out a lawfully imposed sentence is among the State’s most serious responsibilities, and the people of Tennessee expect it to be done in a manner that is not only legal and constitutional, but is effective."

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.