Christa Pike, a convicted murderer, is critically ill in a hospital following a failed execution attempt, according to her lawyer, Stephen Ferrell. Doctors are reportedly working to clear two doses of pentobarbital from her system. Pike, 50, was sentenced to death for the 1995 murder of Colleen Slemmer. After surviving two execution attempts on Wednesday, she was transferred to a hospital in Nashville, Tennessee.
Ferrell stated, "She's still in the hospital, on a ventilator, critically ill, we really don't know the prognosis yet, and may not know for several days." He indicated that she has not regained consciousness and that he has been receiving updates through her medical power of attorney. He has not visited her in the hospital.
Authorities have not disclosed whether they will attempt to execute Pike again or provided details on what went wrong during the execution. Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has suspended all executions for the remainder of the year, and the head of the state's prison system announced his resignation following the incident.
Ferrell expressed concern about Pike's potential recovery and competence, stating, "If she recovers - she may not fully recover - and there may be issues about her competence. I mean, we just don't know any of this." He has not had discussions with the Tennessee attorney general's office regarding future actions.
He urged the governor to commute Pike's death sentence to life imprisonment, citing her long incarceration and the circumstances surrounding the failed execution. Pike was 18 when she and her then-boyfriend, Tadaryl Shipp, were convicted of beating, torturing, and killing Slemmer.
Slemmer's mother, May Martinez, who supported Pike's death sentence, expressed her distress after learning of the failed execution, saying, "I think that the state owes me a big apology." The Tennessee Department of Correction has defended its lethal injection protocol, stating it does not permit additional procedures beyond those already conducted. Pike's legal team had previously warned that her medical conditions could lead to unnecessary pain during execution.