Christa Pike's lawyers in court after failed execution of US death row inmate

Key Points:

• A hearing has begun in Tennessee's Davidson County Chancery Court where Judge Chancellor I'Ashea Myles will first determine if the court has jurisdiction over Christa Pike's case before proceeding.
• Pike's lawyers are requesting the state to preserve all evidence and materials related to her botched lethal injection execution on 30 September, which involved two doses of pentobarbital that failed to stop her heartbeat.
• Pike is believed to be the only person in the US to survive a lethal injection after some toxin was injected, with her current condition reported as conscious and speaking, though initially critically ill and intubated.
• The execution faced procedural controversies, including restricted media access during key moments and multiple attempts to start IV lines, with at least seven needles used and reports of Pike showing distress during the injections.
• Pike was sentenced to death in 1996 for the 1995 murder of Colleen Slemmer at a teen camp, with her boyfriend receiving a life sentence; the case has reignited scrutiny of lethal injection protocols and execution transparency in Tennessee.