Christa Pike is discharged from a hospital after surviving execution attempt, her attorneys say

Nashville, Tenn. (AP) — Christa Pike, who survived Tennessee's execution attempt via lethal injection, has returned to prison, according to her attorneys. On September 30, Pike faced execution for the 1995 brutal murder of her college classmate, Colleen Slemmer. She was administered two doses of pentobarbital, but somehow managed to survive.

For 30 years, Pike had been incarcerated at the women's prison, the Deborah K. Johnson Rehabilitation Center. Her attorneys released a statement expressing gratitude for the medical team's care during her extraordinary ordeal. Initially, it appeared Pike might not make it, but she eventually woke up, communicated, and moved with assistance.

The Tennessee Department of Correction has not disclosed the cause of the execution failure, but medical experts suspect an issue with the IV line, causing the drugs to pool in her tissue instead of entering her bloodstream. Pike's legal team claims the execution team was unaware of the improperly placed IV lines. This execution failure has spurred renewed examination of Tennessee's lethal injection procedures.

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has delayed the state's second scheduled execution this year and initiated a review of the incident. The state's prison chief also resigned following the failed execution. Upon being asked if she had a final statement, Pike conveyed a sense of peace. Shortly after, she mentioned her arm hurting, and later, she lost consciousness while still breathing heavily until media witnesses were removed from the witness room, approximately 90 minutes into the execution. Eventually, she was transported to a hospital.