Leaked Christa Pike photo after botched execution could explain why she survived lethal injection

Christa Pike's failed execution on 30 September has led the state to pause all executions

Following Christa Pike’s controversial failed execution last week, a graphic photo has allegedly emerged showing the damage the two lethal injections did to her body.

Pike's execution attempt has been in the news plenty of times in the week since she was taken to hospital for ‘live-saving’ measures on 30 September.

But the details keep coming, which have revealed the extent of her some of her injuries after being injected with two shots of pentobarbital, in accordance with the state’s backup protocol if one injection fails.

Radar Online claims to have obtained an image that was leaked from inside the Tennessee Department of Correction by a source.

According to the outlet, it shows Pike’s severely bruised arm caused by internal bleeding from the elbow downward. However, Radar Online has decided not to publish the image.

They say the picture shows Pike’s alleged ‘nearly purple’ arm, but this is not verified.

But the description of said photo adds further insight into the condition previously told by her lawyers as having been ‘swollen, burned, and blistered’.

Her legal team claim seven needles entered Pike’s arms in an attempt to find a suitable vein.

However, per the outlet, the apparent source claimed: "The needle blew her vein, causing the chemicals to go to the muscle."

They also claimed Pike had ‘stroke-like symptoms'. However, none of this has been confirmed by Pike’s legal team, nor the state.

Pike, 50, was supposed to become the first woman to be executed in Tennessee in two centuries after being sentenced to death for the 1995 murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer.

Her execution via lethal injection was lined up and ready to go on 30 September, despite an hour-long day in an attempt by her lawyers to halt it, as Pike said her final words in the execution chamber.

"I’m going to leave this world the way I spent most of my life, and that is with love,” she said in the room. "I’m at peace, I’m ready to be free. This is a happy day."

However, according to the witnesses present, Pike began to complain of pain in her arm following the first injection, stating: “My arm feels like it’s about to burst open.”

She then asked: “Does this happen like that?”

Shockingly, it was described that despite being dosed with two loads of pentobarbital, she was still alive. She was rushed to hospital, where she 'remains critically ill'.

In the most recent health update from her legal team, they shared Pike ‘may not fully recover’.

In the aftermath, the Tennessee Department of Correction said it had followed ‘every step’ of the standard protocol, while Tennessee's prisons chief Frank Strada announced he was stepping down from the role.

At the moment, the state has paused all executions as it launches an investigation into Pike’s situation.

Just weeks in the run up to the scheduled execution date, Pikes representatives fought to stay her execution due to fears that a blood-clotting disorder and notably thin veins could present a problem in the execution chamber.

At the time, they said it could expose her to unnecessary pain.

LADbible has reached out to the Tennessee Department of Correction for comment.

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