Christa Pike, the 50‑year‑old death‑row inmate convicted of murdering 19‑year‑old Colleen Slemmer in 1995, remains in critical condition after a failed execution attempt on Wednesday. The proceedings ended when the lethal injection protocol malfunctioned, leaving Pike on a ventilator and in a hospital in Nashville for further care.
Lawyer Stephen Ferrell told CNN that doctors are still working to clear residual pentobarbital from Pike’s body and that the inmate has not shown any signs of regaining consciousness. “She’s still in the hospital, on a ventilator, critically ill, we really don’t know the prognosis yet,” Ferrell said. He added that he has only received updates through her medical power of attorney and has not had direct contact with the doctors.
The Tennessee state government has yet to announce whether another execution attempt will be made, and no explanation has been provided for the failure. In response, Governor Bill Lee suspended all executions for the remainder of the year and the state’s Department of Corrections has defended its lethal injection protocol as having no possibility for extra procedures.
Pike’s case is further complicated by her medical history, which includes thrombocytosis and small veins that may increase the risk of pain and suffering during an injectable death sentence. Her attorney has urged that the governor consider commuting her death sentence to life imprisonment at the very least, citing the alleged torturous attempt and her decades of solitary confinement.
