Tennessee death row inmate awake, talking after execution attempt fails

JACKSON, Tenn. (WBBJ) – Death row inmate Christa Pike is awake and talking a few days after the state’s execution failed.

Pike, 50, was convicted of killing her classmate, Colleen Slemmer, in 1995. She received the death penalty, and last Wednesday was her execution date. After two doses of lethal injection drugs, she survived.

Retired Dr. Paul Allen reacted to news that Pike survived her execution.

Pike’s attorneys say she is conscious and speaking, but still restrained to her bed, with burned and blistered arms. They call her recovery “medically unprecedented.”

A medical expert says Pike’s breathing and speaking is a good sign, but says it’s too soon to know if she will recover or whether she would ever be competent enough.

Pike’s defense team says the drug may not have gone directly into her vein. Without medical help, Allen believes it would have likely killed her.

“I think she would have succumbed to the drug,” Allen said.

With the failed execution, the race for governor is now divided over what the state does next.

“Tennesseans support the death penalty by an overwhelming majority,” U.S. Senator & Republican candidate for governor Marsha Blackburn said.

“There is no reason that we should continue this when they are torturing people,” Memphis City Councilwoman & Democratic candidate for governor Jerri Green said.

Christa Pike’s attorneys appeared in court Wednesday in regard to their emergency motion to preserve evidence related to last week’s botched execution.

“Anything that was in the room needs to be preserved, that includes waste,” said the judge. The judge then went on to say that photos, recordings, emails, medicine use, all documentation, text messages, any medical records and time logs should all be maintained. “I want you to preserve all of it,” said the judge, “I want you all to take careful care of the items.”

The State of Tennessee is to preserve anything in the room during the time of Christa Pike’s execution attempt.