Christa Pike details pain after failed execution

Christa Pike released a statement on Friday describing her ongoing physical and mental suffering since surviving a lethal injection in Tennessee.

Pike, 50, said she has experienced unbroken pain since the night of her execution attempt on Sept. 30. She described her body, arms, hands, and throat as hurting, noting that she still struggles to speak. Pike stated that the pain is not only physical but also present in her mind and soul.

The statement, dictated to her legal team from the prison infirmary, marks her first public comments since the incident. Pike said she was prepared to die in peace and did not contemplate a life beyond her execution date. She described waking up alone and confused in a hospital bed. Pike expressed gratitude to the medical workers who saved her life and the people who showed her kindness during her recovery.

Tennessee authorities attempted to execute Pike for the 1995 stabbing death of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer. Pike was 18 when she and her boyfriend killed Slemmer, making her one of the youngest women sentenced to death in the state. The execution failed when Pike survived two doses of pentobarbital. She was hospitalized immediately after the event and later moved to the Debra K. Johnson Rehabilitation Center.

Pike blamed the state for the failed procedure, citing incompetence in her statement. She said she is deeply hurt by the error and continues to think about the victim’s family and their loss. Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has called for an investigation into the failed execution. He also postponed the state’s other lethal injection scheduled for this year.

Pike’s attorneys have asked Gov. Lee to reduce her sentence to life imprisonment. Lee told reporters this week that he suspects her sentence will remain unchanged unless the courts decide otherwise. Pike said she does not know what comes next and that finding hope is difficult on some days. She is trying to heal one day at a time while holding on to the support of those around her.