Christa Pike unconscious after failed execution — attorneys
Lawyers for Christa Pike said she's unconscious and on a ventilator after a botched execution attempt. Pike is believed to be the first person to have survived the administration of lethal drugs in the modern era.
Christa Pike, sentenced to death for a 1995 murder, remained unconscious and connected to a ventilator following a failed execution attempt in Tennessee, according to her attorneys. On Wednesday, Pike was administered two doses of lethal injection, and she was later found snoring. Her legal team believes issues with the IV lines led the lethal drug to enter her body rather than her bloodstream.
The execution team failed to identify this issue, and instead proceeded to administer a second dose of pentobarbital. The attorneys now question whether Tennessee can proceed with another execution attempt given Pike's medical condition. Tennessee Governor Bill Lee temporarily halted the state's execution process on Thursday, stating there would be a comprehensive third-party review of the case.
Pike, aged 50, was set to be the first woman executed in Tennessee in 200 years and is believed to be the first person to survive lethal injection in modern times.
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