Death row inmate Christa Pike has been discharged from hospital following her failed execution attempt late last month, according to a statement released by her lawyers on Saturday. The 50-year-old, who has spent the last 30 years in prison, has now been returned to the facility where she remains under ongoing medical care.
Pike’s case has entered uncharted legal territory, as she is believed to be the only person to have survived an attempt at execution by lethal injection. On September 30, she survived two administrations of the drug pentobarbital, leaving her in critical condition. Earlier this week, she regained consciousness and began speaking, a development that stunned her legal team, medical staff, and experts alike. In their statement, her lawyers noted that she is grateful to the first responders and her medical team for the care she received under these extraordinary circumstances.
During a court hearing on Wednesday, Tennessee Assistant Attorney General Will Ayers informed the judge that it remains unclear whether the state intends to reschedule the execution. Pike’s initial conviction stems from when she was 18 years old; she and her then-boyfriend, Tadaryl Shipp, beat, tortured, and murdered 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer. The two had met the victim at a job training camp for low-income young people.
Following the failed attempt on September 30, Pike lost consciousness before being transported to a local hospital. When she eventually woke up on Tuesday, her lawyers reported that her first words were, "Where am I?" and "Who are you?"
