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Christa Pike suffering from pneumonia, unable to move arms after botched execution, lawyers say
CBS News • • general
Key Points:
- Christa Pike, a Tennessee death row inmate, survived a botched lethal injection but suffered severe health complications including pneumonia, a blood clot, inability to swallow, and swollen, immobile arms and hands after regaining consciousness.
- Pike's attorneys reported she was initially declared brain-dead but later woke up confused and disoriented, with concerns about potential permanent damage from the execution drugs.
- A court ordered Tennessee's Department of Correction to preserve all evidence related to the failed execution, including drugs, medical supplies, and records, to aid in ongoing litigation and investigation.
- Pike's legal team is urging Governor Bill Lee to commute her sentence to life without parole to prevent a second execution attempt, while the state maintains no current execution order is pending.
- Pike was convicted in 1995 for the brutal murder of her classmate Colleen Slemmer and had spent over 30 years on death row; her case has drawn significant public attention and debate over her sentence given her age at the time of the crime and history of mental illness.
