Christa Pike, US death row inmate, conscious after failed execution attempt

US death row inmate Christa Pike is reported to be conscious and speaking after a failed execution attempt last week, according to her lawyers. Pike, 50, is receiving critical medical care while handcuffed in a hospital. She was sentenced to death for the murder of Colleen Slemmer in 1995 and survived two failed lethal injections last Wednesday in Tennessee. Medical staff have been working to clear her body of the injected chemical. Experts and her legal team describe her recovery as unprecedented, noting that she may be the only person to survive a lethal injection. Her lawyers indicated that while her prognosis remains unclear, they expect a long recovery. Deborah Denno, a criminologist at Fordham Law School, expressed astonishment at Pike's condition, stating that previous cases of survival involved no injections. Authorities have not confirmed whether they will attempt to execute Pike again, and Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has suspended all executions for the remainder of the year. Pike was 18 when she and her boyfriend, Tadaryl Shipp, killed Slemmer. Dr. Joel Zivot, an anaesthesiologist advising Pike's defense team, noted that most individuals who undergo lethal injection do not survive, and he highlighted the uncertainty surrounding Pike's recovery. He suggested that the pentobarbital may not have entered her bloodstream as intended, which could explain her survival. Pike's lawyers have previously raised concerns about her medical history, indicating that she could experience significant pain during the execution process. They reported that she has suffered severe damage to her arms during the failed execution attempt.