Christa Pike remains hospitalized after surviving two attempts to execute her by lethal injection, and a doctor who has been involved with her legal team has now explained what the ordeal could mean for her long-term health.
Dr. Joel Zivot, a professor at the Emory University School of Medicine, told the BBC that Pike could potentially have suffered a brain injury because of the delay before efforts were made to resuscitate her.
“It’s very possible that as a consequence of the delay of the beginning of resuscitation she will have a brain injury,” he explained.
Zivot has also worked closely with Pike’s attorneys ahead of her scheduled execution.
Pike was sentenced to death in 1996 for the brutal murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer, and was supposed to be executed in Tennessee on September 30, which would have made her the first woman executed by the state in more than 200 years.
Instead, the process turned into a medical emergency.
Christa Pike execution
Pike was strapped to a gurney and given two doses of pentobarbital. However, neither attempt resulted in her death.
Her attorney later said Pike remained conscious following the second syringe, although she was “audibly snoring.”
A witness also described what happened inside the execution chamber. At around 7:34PM, Pike reportedly said: “My arm feels like it is about to burst open.”
She then asked: “Does this happen like that?”
Witnesses said Pike was kicking her feet as she was restrained and the lethal injection drugs were administered.
Following the failed execution, Pike was taken to an outside medical facility.
Aspokesperson for the Tennessee Department of Corrections said Pike had been “transported to an off-site medical facility” after the attempt.
Survived two lethal injections
The department defended the execution procedure, saying the state had followed its established protocol.
A spokesperson said the state “followed every step of the State’s lawful, established execution protocol approved by the Attorney General’s Office” and added that “the lethal injection chemical in the protocol has consistently been effective.”
Pike’s legal team disputed that account.
“Tonight the State of Tennessee once again failed to carry out a lawful execution,” her attorneys said.
Pike remains hospitalized as questions continue over what happened during the failed execution and whether the prolonged attempt could have caused lasting health consequences.