NASHVILLE — Tennessee does not currently have an active execution order for Christa Pike, the state’s assistant attorney general told a court Wednesday, while declining to say whether officials might seek to reschedule her execution.
Pike, 50, was scheduled to become the first woman executed in Tennessee in more than two centuries on September 30. She survived two unsuccessful attempts to carry out the sentence and remains hospitalized, awake and able to speak.
Attorneys for Pike and the state appeared in Davidson County Chancery Court to debate an emergency request that would require the Tennessee Department of Correction to safeguard and preserve all evidence connected to the failed execution.
“There is no pending execution order for Ms. Pike and there is no allegation that one is coming,” Tennessee Assistant Attorney General John W. Ayers told the court.
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Here’s the latest on the botched execution of Tennessee murderer Christa Pike:
When Judge L’Ashea Myles asked whether the state would commit to not rescheduling Pike’s execution, Ayers responded, “I can’t answer that question.”
Pike’s attorney, Luke Ihnen, said the state “has made no promises that Ms. Pike will not be subject to future execution.”
Ihnen said the defense wants the evidence preserved because it could be “relevant for any future challenge she makes.”
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.