Christa Pike, the Tennessee murderer who survived a failed execution attempt, has spoken publicly for the first time, describing relentless pain since the procedure.
Pike’s September 30 execution was halted after she regained consciousness when state officials administered two unsuccessful doses of pentobarbital.
In a statement, Pike, 50, said: “There hasn’t been a moment since that night when I haven’t been in pain.
“My body hurts. My arms hurt. My hands hurt. My throat hurts. I still struggle to speak. And the pain isn’t just physical. There is pain in my mind and in my soul.
“I had not contemplated life beyond that night, and I’m deeply hurt by the incompetence that has put so many people in this terrible position.
“I continue to think about my victim’s family and the terrible pain and loss they have endured.
“I am recovering, and I know that I am getting stronger. But healing is not the same as being okay.
Christa Pike survived a botched execution in Tennessee and was taken to hospital before later being discharged
Her September 30 execution failed after she woke up following two unsuccessful pentobarbital doses
“Since that night, I have been largely isolated in the prison’s medical ward, away from other people and the human connections that mean so much to me. That isolation brings its own kind of pain.”
During the disturbing procedure, Pike reportedly cried out, “My arm feels like it’s about to burst open,” and later asked: “Does this happen like that?”
She was eventually taken to hospital with both arms swollen, burned and blistered after the drug entered the surrounding tissue.
Her attorneys compared the injuries to chemical exposure from bleach or Drano, a product used to clear blocked household drains and pipes.
Pike’s lawyers said they believed defective IV lines caused the pentobarbital to leak into the tissue of her arms instead of entering her bloodstream.
Pike left the hospital earlier this month and returned to the women’s prison where she has spent the past 30 years.
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She has been incarcerated since 1995 for the beating and stabbing death of her classmate, Colleen Slemmer.
Pike was sentenced to death in Tennessee for the 1995 beating and stabbing of classmate Colleen Slemmer
Pike received her death sentence in 1996
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee said earlier this week that Pike will probably still face execution despite surviving the failed attempt. Lee has suspended executions in the state through the end of the year.
He told WSMV News: “As it related to a particular individual like Christa Pike and her crime, she’s still incarcerated under the laws of the State of Tennessee.
‘I suspect her sentence will be the same as before unless determined otherwise by the courts.’
Meanwhile, a Tennessee judge has ordered the state to preserve all evidence from her failed execution.
Assistant Attorney General John Ayers did not object to the request, noting there is no pending execution order for Pike and insisting that the Department of Correction has already preserved the evidence from her attempted execution.
Governor Bill Lee said that Pike will likely still be executed despite surviving the botched attempt to execute her
He added that log books, observation logs, medical waste and products, and electrocardiogram readouts have been saved.
It was recently revealed that local and state police were left confused and incredulous after prison officials first reported that Pike survived her execution attempt – with one dispatcher even believing it was a false report.
Pike was just 18 years old when she and her then-boyfriend, Tadaryl Shipp, beat and killed 19-year-old Slemmer.
Prosecutors said Pike, fearing Slemmer was trying to steal her boyfriend, lured her to a wooded area, cut her with a box cutter and beat her with a large chunk of asphalt.
Shipp then carved a pentagram into the victim’s body. He was 17 when the crime happened and received a sentence of life in prison with the possibility of parole, with Pike being the only one sentenced to death.