Pike Released from Hospital
US death‑row inmate Christa Pike has been discharged from the hospital after a botched execution attempt earlier this month, her lawyers said.
The 50‑year‑old, who has spent nearly three decades in prison, was returned to Riverbend Maximum Security shortly after medical care concluded. Pike survived two lethal injections of pentobarbital on September 30, which left her in critical condition. She regained consciousness early this week and has begun speaking again, her defense team announced.
Pike’s case is unprecedented in that she is believed to be the only person to survive an execution attempt by lethal injection. At a recent court hearing, Tennessee Assistant Attorney General Will Ayers told the judge he was unsure whether the state intended to reschedule her execution. The judge ordered the state to preserve all evidence related to the failed attempt, potentially laying groundwork for a future lawsuit.
The crime that landed Pike on death row dates back to 1996, when she and her then boyfriend, Tadaryl Shipp, beat, tortured and killed 19‑year‑old Colleen Slemmer after meeting her at a low‑income job‑training camp. The murder led to a death‑penalty conviction and a sentence of death, which has been carried out for decades in Tennessee.
The incident has sparked debate over execution protocols and the legality of lethal‑injection drugs.
