Christa Pike is out of the hospital, her lawyers say. The 50-year-old is back at the Deborah K. Johnson Rehabilitation Center in Nashville.
Christa Pike is out of the hospital. The 50-year-old is back at the Deborah K. Johnson Rehabilitation Center in Nashville.
“Christa Pike was discharged from a local hospital and is now at Deborah K. Johnson Rehabilitation Center, where she has been housed for more than 30 years,” her lawyers said in a statement.
“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.”
What happened on September 30
Pike was due to be executed on September 30 after 30 years on death row. Her lawyers had spent months arguing in court that the lethal injection could cause her unnecessary suffering because of a blood-clotting disorder she has.
On the day of the execution, officials struggled to get an IV line into her arm. Witnesses say at least seven needles were used, and one allegedly came out bent at a 90-degree angle. Pike was still alive after the second dose of pentobarbital, and witnesses say she could be heard snoring before she was rushed to the hospital.
After the botched execution she remained unconscious for several days. She woke up nearly a week later and is now able to speak and even stand up.
Pike’s remarkable recovery
Pike is recovering well physically, but her lawyers say it’s too early to know the long-term effects. “While her physical recovery has been remarkable, significant questions remain about the long-term effects of what she endured,” they said, according to the New York Post.
“Christa is dealing with the profound psychological trauma of having survived a failed execution, including the terror, pain and uncertainty of believing she was about to die.” She also still experiences cognitive challenges.
It’s also unclear whether Tennessee will change her sentence to life in prison, which she and her lawyers have been asking for, or push for another execution. For now, all upcoming executions in the state are on hold pending an investigation into the botched execution.
Pike’s ex-boyfriend and the 1995 killing
Pike was convicted of the murder of Job Corps classmate Colleen Slemmer in 1995. She was 18 and feared Slemmer was interested in her then-boyfriend, Tadaryl Shipp, who was 17. Pike and Shipp lured Slemmer to an isolated spot and killed her. Another friend, Shadolla Peterson, acted as a lookout.
Pike was sentenced to death. Shipp was under 18 at the time, so he couldn’t be given the death penalty, and he got life in prison instead. Peterson got six years’ probation.
Shipp is still in prison. The parole board turned him down last year, and his next hearing is in 2031.
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