Christa Pike discharged from hospital after failed execution — The Guardian

In Tennessee, United States, death row inmate Christa Pike was discharged from hospital and returned to the Deborah K Johnson Rehabilitation Center, where she has been held for about 30 years. Her lawyers said that the 50-year-old Pike would continue receiving medical care at the facility, The Guardian reports.

Failed execution attempt

On September 30, officials attempted to execute Pike by lethal injection. She was administered two doses of pentobarbital but survived and was subsequently hospitalized. According to the publication, she was declared brain-dead on Monday.

However, on Thursday, her lawyer said that Pike was able to walk. According to him, she felt somewhat disoriented and could not fully use her hands.

During the procedure, Pike said she felt a burning sensation in her arms and asked whether that was normal. Witnesses present in the execution chamber said that “nothing was normal.” Officials, meanwhile, insist that they acted in accordance with the protocol approved in Tennessee.

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Reasons not explained

There is no official explanation for why Pike survived after the drug was administered. Medical experts suggest that some or all of the drug may have entered surrounding tissue rather than a vein. Other possible reasons cited include damage to a vein, a faulty drug, or a combination of these factors. Pike's lawyers had previously pointed to problems with her veins.

Pike was convicted in 1995 of torturing and killing 18-year-old Colleen Slemmer, her classmate at Knoxville Job Corps. According to court documents, Pike and Tadaryl Shipp led Slemmer to a wooded area of the University of Tennessee campus, where they killed her. Pike was sentenced to death, while Shipp received life imprisonment because he was under 18 at the time of the crime.

The head of Tennessee's prison system announced his resignation. State Governor Bill Lee also suspended executions in Tennessee until the end of the year.