Survivor of Tennessee's botched execution reports constant pain
Christa Pike, who was left unconscious for days after a failed lethal injection, is seeking a life sentence while the state reviews its protocols.
By Elena Castillo ·
Tennessee is reviewing its death penalty procedures after a prisoner survived a lethal injection last month. The state has paused other scheduled executions and launched an independent investigation into the incident.
Christa Pike, 50, spoke publicly for the first time on Friday through her legal team. She reported that she is in constant physical and emotional pain and is struggling to speak. "There hasn’t been a moment since that night when I haven’t been in pain," she stated. Pike said she was deeply hurt by the incompetence that left her in this condition.
Pike was sentenced to death in 1995 for the murder of a 19-year-old classmate. She was 18 at the time of the crime. Her execution was carried out on September 30. Two separate doses of phenobarbital were administered. Her lawyers argue the drug failed to enter her bloodstream and instead pooled in her arms, causing burns and blisters. She remained unconscious in a hospital for several days following the procedure.
Pike remains in solitary confinement. Her attorneys have asked a federal judge to allow her contact with other prisoners, citing the psychological harm of her isolation. They have also asked Governor Bill Lee to commute her sentence to life in prison. Pike said she continues to think about the victim's family and the loss they have endured. The victim's mother traveled from Florida to witness the execution.
Governor Lee told reporters last week that he suspects Pike's sentence will remain unchanged unless the courts rule otherwise. Frank Strada, the commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Correction, announced his resignation following the failed execution. The governor postponed the state's other lethal injection scheduled for this year.
The case has drawn renewed attention to how Tennessee carries out death sentences. Pike's legal team is currently waiting for the federal judge to rule on her request for interaction with other inmates. The state's independent review of the September 30 procedure is underway.
Source: Al Jazeera
