Christa Pike, the Tennessee death row inmate who survived a failed lethal injection last month, has issued her first public statement, saying she has been in constant pain since the botched execution and is struggling to speak.
Pike, 50, was sentenced to death for the 1995 stabbing death of classmate Colleen Slemmer, whom she tortured and killed at age 18 with her boyfriend. The state attempted to execute her on September 30 with two doses of pentobarbital, but she survived and was taken to hospital before being moved back to the Debra K. Johnson Rehabilitation Centre.
In a statement dictated from the prison infirmary and released through her lawyers on Friday, Pike said she went into the execution chamber prepared to die in peace and woke up alone and confused in a hospital bed. She said she had not contemplated a life beyond her execution date.
“There hasn't been a moment since that night when I haven't been in pain. My body hurts. My arms hurt. My hands hurt. My throat hurts. I still struggle to speak. And the pain isn't just physical. There is pain in my mind and in my soul,” Pike said.
“I'm deeply hurt by the incompetence that has put so many people in this terrible position. I continue to think about my victim's family and the terrible pain and loss they have endured,” she said.
Pike's lawyers have urged Governor Bill Lee to reduce her sentence to life imprisonment. Lee told reporters this week: “I suspect her sentence will be the same as before unless determined otherwise by the courts.”
Lee has called for an investigation into what happened during the failed execution and postponed the state's other lethal injection scheduled this year.
Pike said she is thankful for the medical workers who saved her life and for the people who showed her kindness. “I don't know why I survived that night. I don't know what comes next. Some days, finding hope is harder than others. For now, I am trying to heal, one day at a time. And I am holding on to the love and kindness of so many people who have reminded me that I am not alone,” she said.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- The failed execution is a rare case of an inmate surviving a lethal injection, drawing renewed scrutiny to the drugs and procedures used in US capital punishment.
- Pike's legal team is pressing Governor Bill Lee to commute her sentence to life imprisonment, while Lee has said the sentence will likely stand unless the courts intervene.
- Lee has postponed Tennessee's other scheduled lethal injection this year and ordered an investigation, leaving the state's execution timeline uncertain.
Background
Lethal injection is the most common method of execution in the United States, and botched procedures have long fuelled legal challenges arguing that the method can amount to cruel and unusual punishment. Pike, who was 18 at the time of the killing, became one of the youngest women in the United States to be sentenced to death.
Key Perspectives
Christa Pike: says she has been in constant physical and psychological pain since the failed execution, is deeply hurt by the incompetence involved, and is trying to heal one day at a time.
Governor Bill Lee: suspects Pike's sentence will remain the same unless determined otherwise by the courts, and has called for an investigation into the failed execution.
Pike's legal team: is urging Governor Lee to reduce her sentence to life imprisonment.
What to Watch
- The outcome of Governor Lee's investigation into the failed execution and whether it leads to changes in Tennessee's lethal injection protocol.
- Any court rulings on Pike's case, which could alter her sentence or set precedent for the state's other death row cases.
- Whether Tennessee reschedules its postponed lethal injection and how it proceeds amid the ongoing review.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 12 supported.
Show each claim
- SupportedChrista Pike, a Tennessee death row inmate, broke her silence after surviving a botched execution.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “Pike issued her first public statement through her lawyers on Friday.”
- SupportedPike said she has been in constant pain since the failed execution.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: ““There hasn’t been a moment since that night when I haven’t been in pain. My body hurts. My arms hurt. My hands hurt. My throat hurts. I still struggle to speak.””
- SupportedGovernor Bill Lee said he suspected Pike’s sentence would stay the same unless the courts determined otherwise.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “Lee told reporters this week: “I suspect her sentence will be the same as before unless determined otherwise by the courts.””
- SupportedPike issued her first public statement through her lawyers on Friday.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “Pike issued her first public statement through her lawyers on Friday.”
- SupportedPike is 50.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “Christa Pike, 50, survived a double lethal injection in Tennessee on September 30.”
- SupportedPike was sentenced to death for the 1995 stabbing death of classmate Colleen Slemmer.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “Pike survived two doses of pentobarbital as the state tried to execute her on September 30 for the 1995 stabbing death of classmate Colleen Slemmer. She was 18 when she tortured and killed Slemmer with her boyfriend, becoming one of the youngest women to be sentenced to death.”
- SupportedPike tortured and killed Slemmer with her boyfriend when she was 18.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “She was 18 when she tortured and killed Slemmer with her boyfriend”
- SupportedTennessee tried to execute Pike with two doses of pentobarbital on September 30, but she survived.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “Pike survived two doses of pentobarbital as the state tried to execute her on September 30”
- SupportedPike was hospitalized after the failed execution, then returned to the Debra K. Johnson Rehabilitation Centre; her statement was dictated from the prison infirmary.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “Friday’s statement was dictated to her legal team from the infirmary at the prison where she is housed. Pike was hospitalised in the immediate aftermath of the failed execution and then moved back to prison at the Debra K. Johnson Rehabilitation Centre.”
- SupportedPike said she went into the execution chamber prepared to die in peace and woke up alone and confused in a hospital bed.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “She said she went into the execution chamber prepared to die in peace and woke up alone and confused in a hospital bed .”
- SupportedPike said she was deeply hurt by the incompetence and continued to think about Slemmer’s family and their loss.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: ““I’m deeply hurt by the incompetence that has put so many people in this terrible position. I continue to think about my victim’s family and the terrible pain and loss they have endured,” Pike said.”
- SupportedPike said she was thankful for medical workers and people who showed her kindness, and that she was trying to heal one day at a time.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “She said she is thankful for the medical workers who saved her life and the people who showed her kindness. “I don’t know why I survived that night. I don’t know what comes next. Some days, finding hope is harder than others. For now, I am trying to heal, one day at a time. And I am holding on to the love and kindness of so many people who have reminded me that I am not alone,” she said.”