Christa Pike Returns to Prison After Failed Execution

Christa Pike has returned to custody at the Deborah K. Johnson Rehabilitation Center after being discharged from a local hospital following her failed execution attempt in Tennessee. Her attorneys said she continues receiving medical care after surviving the lethal injection process.

Pike's legal team from Federal Defender Services of Eastern Tennessee and the TN Office of the Post Conviction Defender issued a statement on Oct. 10 confirming her transfer back to the prison facility.

"Christa Pike was discharged from a local hospital and is now at Debra K. Johnson Rehabilitation Center where she has been housed for more than 30 years. She is grateful to the first responders and her medical team for their care in these extraordinary circumstances. She is continuing to receive medical care at the prison, and we will continue to track her recovery." said Stephen Ferrell and Luke Ihnen from Federal Defender Services of Eastern Tennessee, and Randy Spivey and Kelly Gleason from the TN Office of the Post Conviction Defender.

According to Pike's attorneys, she was able to walk on Oct. 8 after spending days unconscious and intubated in the hospital following the Sept. 30 execution attempt.

The attorneys said they remain concerned about possible psychological damage and lasting effects on Pike's cognitive functioning. They were allowed to visit her on Oct. 6 after she regained consciousness.

Medical professionals had previously told the attorneys on Oct. 5 that Pike could have been brain-dead and might need to be removed from life support. On Oct. 7, the attorneys said she was confused and angry, with severe bruising on her arms, pneumonia, and a blood clot.

Pike was sentenced to death for the 1995 killing of Colleen Slemmer in Knoxville. The planned execution was delayed for hours because of last-minute legal proceedings before it was allowed to continue.

After the execution resumed, Pike received two lethal rounds of pentobarbital, according to the source report. Emergency vehicles arrived as witnesses described what they observed during the failed execution attempt.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee ordered a third-party review into the execution failure and paused another execution scheduled for the year. Gary Wayne Sutton had been scheduled for execution on Dec. 3.

The Tennessee Department of Correction, which managed the execution process, said it completed its duties correctly after the incident.