Christa Pike has been discharged from hospital and returned to the Tennessee prison where she has spent the past 30 years, her lawyers said. She is continuing to receive medical care in prison, 10 days after surviving two injections of pentobarbital that left her critically ill.
Pike lost consciousness after the injections on 30 September and was taken to hospital. She regained consciousness earlier this week and began speaking; her lawyer said her first words were, “Where am I?” And “Who are you?” Her lawyers said she had pneumonia, substantial swelling in her arms and difficulty swallowing, and felt angry and confused.
At a court hearing, Tennessee Assistant Attorney General Will Ayers said he did not know whether the state would attempt to execute Pike again. The judge ordered Tennessee to preserve evidence connected to the failed injections, which could support a future lawsuit against the state. Pike is believed to be the only person to have survived an execution attempt by lethal injection.
Pike was 18 when she and her then-boyfriend, Tadaryl Shipp, beat, tortured and killed 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer, whom they had met at a job-training camp for low-income young people. Pike’s lawyers said she is grateful to the first responders and medical team who cared for her, while also warning that her recovery could be lengthy.