Christa Pike is currently unconscious, intubated and on a ventilator after authorities failed to execute her by lethal injection, lawyers have filed in court.
Pike, 50, received two lethal doses of pentobarbital on Wednesday, yet she remained alive and was rushed to a hospital in an ambulance. Hospital staff are now working to preserve her life and clear the drug from her system.
Pike’s attorneys are moving to preserve “any and all evidence” related to the botched execution. According to court filings, prison officials used at least seven needles to try to start intravenous lines, and at one point, Pike even offered guidance on where to insert them. One needle was bent at a 90‑degree angle when removed, indicating a lack of proper technique.
During the injection, Pike was reportedly crying, whimpering and breathing loudly, showing that the lethal dose had not taken hold. Dr. Joel Zivot, an anesthesiologist advising the defence, believes that if pentobarbital had entered the bloodstream properly, Pike would have died. Instead, the drug likely spread through tissue beneath the skin, with her thrombocytosis condition potentially forming blood clots that blocked the drug’s entry.
Governor Bill Lee has ordered an independent review of the failed execution and halted all executions in Tennessee for the year. The state’s department of corrections has defended its protocol, stating it did not allow for additional procedures beyond what was carried out, but has not explained the exact cause of failure.
Legal arguments continue, with Pike’s lawyers requesting preservation of all physical, written and electronic evidence in the hopes of influencing a future commutation or re‑execution decision.
