Christa Pike’s lawyers say they believed she was brain dead on Monday and expected her to come off life support within a day. On Tuesday she woke up and started talking.
Christa Pike’s lawyers thought she was never going to wake up after the botched execution on September 30, last week’s Wednesday. On Monday this week, they say they still believed she was brain dead and expected her to be taken off life support within 24 hours. On Tuesday, however, she woke up and regained her ability to speak.
It happened “to the shock of everyone,” attorney Randy Spivey said. “I do not have an explanation for what happened between Monday night and Tuesday morning, but what we do know is that Christa has a long road to recovery,” he said.
Pike’s first words upon waking up
According to Spivey, the first thing Pike said was: “Where am I and who are you?” He said at a press conference on Wednesday that he wasn’t in the room when she said it. He declined to speculate on what the words might mean for her recovery.
Spivey said there is “still a lot of cognitive confusion,” but that Pike is “very aware that the state tried to execute her.”
“She has wanted to know what’s happened, and she’s asked about several people,” he said. “I think she is angry and confused about everything right now.” CNN reports that Pike has pneumonia and a blood clot in her arm. She can’t swallow or eat.
Her arms are in the worst shape. “She cannot move either of her arms,” Spivey said. “Both of her arms and hands are tremendously swollen, and we do not know what, if any, function she will regain in her arms.”
Judge orders the state to keep all evidence
Judge I’Ashea Myles has granted Pike’s lawyers’ motion to preserve the state’s evidence from the execution attempt. That includes 911 calls and communications between state officials.
“I want you all to preserve all of that information,” she ruled. She warned the state to “take special care not to lose, misplace or accidentally delete” anything connected to the case. Assistant Attorney General John W. Ayers told the court that there’s currently no further execution order for Pike. He couldn’t say whether the state would apply for one.
The judge pressed him. “I understand that all executions have been suspended for now. Is that going to be permanent or is the state prepared to take the position that Miss Pike will not be rescheduled?”
Ayers said he wasn’t in a position to answer. “But you’re also not in a position to say that tomorrow a new execution order will not be presented. Is that correct?” the judge asked, to which Ayers replied: “Your honor, that is within the purview of the Tennessee Supreme Court.”
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