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Updated 1w+ ago · Crime
Christa Pike Recovering After Botched Execution, Lawyers Say
Christa Pike survived two pentobarbital injections during Tennessee's attempt to execute her on Sept. 30. Her lawyers say she is recovering in the hospital.
- 1995: Pike, then 18, and Tadaryl Shipp killed Colleen Slemmer, 19.
- Witnesses say she kept breathing and moving on the gurney after the injections.
- Oct. 6: Pike regained consciousness in the hospital, her lawyers said.
- Her lawyers say she now walks with assistance and has regained some arm movement.
Why it matters: The case has no clear precedent, and it is Tennessee's second called-off execution this year. In May, staff spent more than 90 minutes failing to set an IV for Tony Carruthers.
- 28 of 29 death penalty states use lethal injection as their primary method.
- Tennessee, Idaho, Alabama, Arizona, Texas and Oklahoma have recorded botched injections since 2022.
How 22 sources split on this story
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Coverage by lean
22 sources · 27 articles · 41% Center coverage
Where they split: Pike's lawyers want her sentence reduced to life without parole, while death penalty supporters have proposed executing her by a different method.
Center coverage, 9 sources: The center focuses on Pike's medical recovery and the legal steps that follow the failed execution.
BBC News1w+Christa Pike's health has seen 'profound turnaround' in last three days, lawyers sayNewsweek1w+Christa Pike: Doctor Explains Fundamental Flaw in Lethal ExecutionsThe National Desk1w+Christa Pike’s failed execution: Judge wants new court documents todayAssociated Press1w+Christa Pike is walking with help and eating after failed execution attempt, her attorneys sayChristian Science Monitor1w+Botched execution and talk of livestream reignite death penalty debateNews4Jax1w+Christa Pike is walking with help and eating after failed execution attempt, her attorneys sayNPR1w+Christa Pike is walking with help and eating after failed execution attemptWFLA News Channel 81w+Christa Pike 'taking limited steps,' eating after botched execution, lawyers sayWSB-TV Atlanta1w+Christa Pike is walking with help and eating after failed execution attempt, her attorneys say
Left coverage, 6 sources: The left sees the Pike case as one example of a broader pattern of failed lethal injections in the US.
Al Jazeera1w+Christa Pike case underscores prevalence of botched executions in USDaily Kos1w+Failed executions troubled other states before Christa Pike. Here’s what happened.HuffPost1w+Christa Pike Walking With Help After Failed Execution AttemptThe Boston Globe1w+Opinion | Botched execution shows us the death penalty's absurdityThe Guardian1w+Christa Pike’s botched execution is a reminder of the horror of the death penalty | Moira DoneganTruthout1w+We Must Move Beyond the Era of State-Sponsored, State-Celebrated Murder
Right7 sources
Daily Mail1w+Christa told me she was afraid of the pain but was ready to die... Now she's awake and she's angryNew York Post1w+Christa Pike has handcuffs removed in hospital after botched execution -- but is not 'escape risk,' lawyer claimsThe Epoch Times1w+Christa Pike Walking, Eating After Lethal Injection Failed: LawyersLifeNews1w+Liberals: Executing Christa Pike is "Cruel and Unusual Punishment," Abortion Up to Birth is OK - LifeNews.comRedState1w+Released From the Hospital, TN Death Row Inmate Pike Is Still Being Coddled by Activists As VictimThe Sun1w+Disturbing unanswered questions over Christa Pike’s death drug that can ‘curdle like cottage cheese’ in your veinsWashington Examiner1w+Christa Pike woke up: With a 7% botch rate, lethal injection has a problem
What’s next: Lee has paused executions for the rest of the year and promised a third-party review.
- Judge I'Ashea Myles ordered preservation of IV lines, syringes and records on Pike's psychological condition.
- The Tennessee Department of Correction declined to say whether it will try again.
- Why did the injections fail to kill Pike? State officials have not explained it.
- Will Lee commute Pike's sentence, or will Tennessee pursue another execution attempt?
- Will the preserved evidence support a lawsuit against the state?
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