Christa Pike was initially believed to be brain dead after Tennessee’s failed execution attempt. Now, her attorneys say the 50-year-old has regained consciousness and is able to walk.
Pike’s legal team provided an update on her condition during an Oct. 7 press conference, describing a far more serious initial prognosis after she survived two doses of the lethal-injection drug pentobarbital.
“On Monday night, it was our understanding that Christa was brain dead and that life support would be removed the next day,” attorney Randy Spivey said during the briefing, which was streamed by NBC News. “But on Tuesday, to the shock of everyone, including me, including her team and including the medical team, Christa woke up and began talking.”
Spivey said Pike still faces a difficult recovery, making her the only known person to survive a lethal injection.
“She has a blood clot in one of her arms. She has pneumonia. She is not able to swallow yet, so she has not eaten,” he said. Pike also cannot move either arm, and both her arms and hands remain severely swollen. “We do not know what, if any, function she will regain in her arms,” Spivey added.
Christa Pike is Aware of Execution Attempt and Angry, Attorney Says
Despite those complications, attorney Stephen Ferrell told the BBC that Pike has been “up and walking” inside her hospital room, although only for short distances.
Ferrell characterized Pike’s mental condition as a mix of improvement and ongoing difficulty.
“Good that she is fairly with it, but she’s also somewhat foggy,” he said. “She can lose her train of thought really easily and forgets where she’s going.”
According to Spivey, Pike asked, “where am I?” and “who are you?” after she regained consciousness.
“She is angry and confused about everything right now,” he said.
Although Pike remains disoriented, Spivey said she understands that Tennessee attempted to execute her and remembers portions of the Sept. 30 procedure, according to People.
Doctors and her attorneys have not yet determined what Pike’s long-term recovery will look like.
“I assume [the situation for Pike] will keep improving, but there could be some permanent damage,” Ferrell told the BBC. “We don’t know that yet.”
Judge Orders that State to Preserve Evidence of Christa Pike’s Execution Attempt
Tennessee has not said whether officials intend to make another attempt to execute Pike.
Her attorneys are asking Gov. Bill Lee to reduce her death sentence to life in prison.
In the meantime, Lee has suspended executions while an independent investigation examines what went wrong. Tennessee Correction Commissioner Frank Strada is also expected to leave his position this month.
During an Oct. 7 court hearing, Chancery Court Judge I’Ashea Myles ordered Tennessee officials to preserve all potentially relevant evidence tied to the failed execution. That evidence includes IV lines, needles, medical equipment, the drugs used, video footage, written notes and witness statements, according to NBC News.
“The state will have no problem doing this,” Myles said, “because you all are already doing that.”
The judge also directed the state to recover, or “claw back,” any relevant material that might already have been thrown away.
Myles further ordered officials to document Pike’s psychological condition both before and after the execution attempt, the BBC reported.