Christa Pike awake a week after lethal injection as her lawyers seek answers

By Simon Ormiston Published on 07/10/2026 - 8:06 GMT+2 Share Comments Add Euronews on Google Share Facebook Twitter Flipboard Send Reddit Linkedin Messenger Telegram VK Bluesky Threads Whatsapp Christa Pike remains shackled to her hospital bed with burned and blistered arms, while Tennessee has suspended executions and its prison chief has resigned. A US death row inmate who survived an attempt to execute her by lethal injection is conscious and speaking, her lawyers have said, as they go to court to find out what went wrong. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Christa Pike, 50, was given two doses of the drug pentobarbital at a Tennessee prison on 30 September. She is believed to be the only person to survive after lethal injection drugs were administered. "Against all odds, Christa Pike is conscious, speaking, and continues to receive critical medical care," her attorneys said on Tuesday. "Despite the severe damage she endured to her arms, she is still handcuffed and shackled to the bed," they said. "Her prognosis remains unclear but, at a minimum, we expect a long recovery." Pike was sentenced to death for the 1995 killing of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer, committed when she was 18. She would have been the first woman executed by Tennessee in more than 200 years. Her lawyers are due in court in Nashville on Wednesday, seeking an order requiring the prison system to preserve evidence including drug lot numbers, needles and execution logs. The Tennessee attorney general's office said the order was unnecessary because the prison system is "obliged to maintain this evidence in other cases and must assure it is preserved". Experts have focused on whether a problem with the IV line caused the drug to pool in her tissue instead of entering her bloodstream. A court filing said both Pike's arms were "swollen, burned, and blistered" when she arrived at hospital. Governor Bill Lee called what happened "deeply disturbing" and ordered a "comprehensive, third-party review". He has suspended executions in the state pending the investigation, and the prison chief has resigned. Pike's lawyers have again called on Lee to commute her sentence to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. Go to accessibility shortcuts Share Comments Add Euronews on Google Read more The Caspian Sea has been shrinking for decades. Now, a new island has emerged Record bets against the euro: how low could it fall amid France's fiscal crisis and Europe's energy shock? Sánchez announces 21 urgent housing measures after nationwide protests ahead of snap election injection Nashville Death penalty Comments