Christa Pike is awake and speaking after failed execution, lawyers say
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In a Tuesday statement, attorneys for Christa Pike said she remains handcuffed and shackled despite having sustained significant injuries to her arms after two injections of pentobarbital failed to kill her.
The statement described her prognosis as unclear.
“At a minimum, we expect a long recovery,” attorneys Randy Spivey and Kelly Gleason said. “We are incredibly grateful to the first responders and the medical team at the hospital who treated Christa like a human and have provided exceptional care to her. We also want to thank thousands from all over the world who sent messages offering prayers and support for Christa.”
The statement said the attorneys will speak at a news conference Wednesday.
Prison officials administered the injections Wednesday in an attempt to execute Pike for the 1995 murder of her classmate Colleen Slemmer. Pike was 18 at the time of the killing.
After the injections failed to kill her, Pike was hospitalized and placed on a ventilator as staff members worked to clear the pentobarbital from her system, her attorneys have said.
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FOR SUBSCRIBERS This voting bloc holds the key to the midterms FOR SUBSCRIBERS Florida Democrats try to regain their mojo after years of Republican dominance FOR SUBSCRIBERS Justice Department tells employees to adopt Trump’s AI rebrand FOR SUBSCRIBERS U.S. housing market sets a grim record as sellers swamp buyers FOR SUBSCRIBERS France shuts down nearly 900 schools as violent student protests escalate FOR SUBSCRIBERS Texts show worried Cornell fraternity brothers coordinating responses as accusations came to light FOR SUBSCRIBERS Former Olympic canoeist asks government watchdogs to probe ‘nightmare’ Reflecting Pool case FOR SUBSCRIBERS A psychedelic drug could soon get approved in the U.S. What should the rules be? FOR SUBSCRIBERS Locals called their town ‘Almost Heaven’. A plan to open a Buc-ee’s exposed its underbelly. FOR SUBSCRIBERS The Data Dive: Steve Kornacki on how Kansas became a surprise midterm battleground FOR SUBSCRIBERS Baltic nations brace for Russian attacks as border threats escalate FOR SUBSCRIBERS Latino voters feel buyer’s remorse in battleground Texas FOR SUBSCRIBERS Tips came in just minutes after Cornell alerted students to an alleged sex assault at a frat house FOR SUBSCRIBERS What’s on the Supreme Court’s docket this term? FOR SUBSCRIBERS Ford CEO says ‘it’s our responsibility’ to make sure affordable cars are sold in the U.S. Gov. Bill Lee ordered an independent review of the failed execution last week and paused all executions for the rest of the year. Pike’s attorneys have said they believe problems with the IV lines may have caused the pentobarbital to flow into her body instead of her bloodstream.
On Saturday, Lee announced the resignation of Frank Strada , the state’s top prison official.
In a statement, Strada said he believed the state Department of Correction had carried out its responsibilities “in accordance with the established protocol.” But stepping aside, he added, was in the “best interest of Tennesseans as the independent review moves forward.”
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