Christa Pike on Ventilator After Lethal Injection Execution Attempt

Tennessee death row inmate Christa Pike was reported to be unconscious, intubated, and on a ventilator on Thursday night following a failed lethal injection execution, according to her lawyers in court filings. Pike, 50, received two doses of pentobarbital on Wednesday but did not die and was subsequently transported to a hospital. She remains critically ill and is receiving treatment at a Nashville-area hospital. Pike was sentenced to death in 1996 for the murder of Colleen Slemmer, and her legal team is now seeking to have her sentence commuted following the botched execution attempt. On Friday, her lawyers filed an emergency motion to preserve all evidence related to the execution attempt. Hospital staff are reportedly working to save her life and eliminate the pentobarbital from her system. During the execution attempt, prison officials attempted to establish intravenous (IV) lines using at least seven needles, according to Pike's lawyers, who noted that at one point, Pike offered suggestions on where to insert the needles. They reported that one needle was bent at a 90-degree angle when removed. According to her lawyers, Pike could be heard crying and whimpering during the procedure. Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has ordered an independent review of the execution attempt and has suspended all executions in the state for the year. The state's department of correction has defended its execution protocol, stating that it does not permit additional procedures beyond what was conducted. Authorities have not yet indicated whether they will attempt to execute Pike again or provided explanations for the failure. Pike's attorneys had previously warned that her medical conditions, including thrombocytosis and small veins, posed risks of unnecessary pain during the execution. In their latest filings, they allege that the execution team did not recognize that the IV lines were improperly placed and that the pentobarbital was not effectively entering Pike's bloodstream. Dr. Joel Zivot, an anesthesiologist advising Pike's defense, stated that the doses administered should have been lethal if they had entered her bloodstream normally. He suggested that the only explanation for her survival could be that the pentobarbital levels were insufficient to cause death and that blisters on her arm indicated a ruptured vein. Pike's thrombocytosis may have contributed to blood clots forming at the injection site, potentially blocking the drug from entering her veins. Zivot also mentioned that degradation of the pentobarbital could be a factor, possibly due to poor manufacturing or improper storage. The execution attempt proceeded despite multiple last-minute legal challenges from Pike's lawyers, including two efforts thwarted by the US Supreme Court. Tennessee's governor also denied a clemency request from Pike, who is the only woman on the state's death row. Pike was 18 when she and her boyfriend, Tadaryl Shipp, killed 19-year-old Slemmer in 1995 after accusing her of insulting Pike and attempting to steal Shipp. Shipp, who was 17 at the time, received a life sentence with the possibility of parole and remains incarcerated.