Christa Pike has issued a statement following the Tennessee Department of Corrections’ attempt to execute her last month. Pike survived the botched execution on Wednesday, September 30, despite being given two lethal injections.
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Christa Pike Survives Execution In Tennessee
Christa Pike released a statement after surviving a botched execution by the Tennessee Department of Corrections. The Shade Room reported that the State of Tennessee failed to execute Pike at the Riverbend Maximum Security Institution last month. Pike was reportedly given two fatal doses of the drug pentobarbital, according to The Tennessean. Pike was administered the drug at the facility in Nashville.
Pentobarbital is reportedly used for lethal injections because it suppresses breathing and induces comas at high doses. According to the National Library of Medicine, two to ten grams of the drug is fatal within 15 to 30 minutes. However, Pike was still breathing after the second injection and was rushed to the hospital.
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Her attorneys, Randy Spivey and Kelly Gleason, said during a hearing in August that the 50-year-old was diagnosed with thrombocytosis, according to PBS. They added that the vein condition would make it difficult to locate a viable vein on Pike.
The staff reportedly used at least 10 needles trying to locate a vein on Pike. At the time of the execution attempt, Pike reportedly said, “My arm feels like it’s about to burst open.”
Pike reportedly spent several days unconscious and on a ventilator. In addition, she was not expected to survive. The execution of Tony Carruthers in Tennessee earlier this year was also botched when they couldn’t locate a vein for the IV, according to WSFB. Dr. Mark Fowler oversaw both botched executions.
Christa Pike Issues Statement After Botched Execution
Pike issued a statement one month after surviving the execution attempt, and she noted the physical and emotional toll the ordeal has taken on her, per WKRN. Furthermore, she described waking up in the hospital confused. Pike reportedly dictated the statement to her legal team, per ABC News.
“One month ago on September 30, I walked into the execution chamber at Riverbend men’s prison prepared to die,” she wrote. “I had made my peace. I had told the people who loved me, supported me, and stood by me through the years; I was grateful for them. I had also told the people in the room who were there to witness my execution that I was leaving them in loving kindness. Several days later I woke up alone in a hospital, confused and in pain. 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. I had not contemplated life beyond that night, and I’m deeply hurt by the incompetence that has put so many people in this terrible position.”
She also showed remorse for her victim’s family. Pike was convicted of first-degree murder for the 1995 brutal death of her classmate, Colleen Slemmer, in Knoxville.
“I continue to think about my victim’s family and the terrible pain and loss they have endured,” she continued. “I am recovering, and I know that I am getting stronger. But healing is not the same as being okay. Since that night, I have been largely isolated in the prison’s medical ward, away from other people and the human connections that mean so much to me. That isolation brings its own kind of pain. I spent 28 years in solitary confinement and much of what I am experiencing today is a repeat of that condition. I am searching for meaning in what happened to me. One thing that has given me strength is the extraordinary love and support I have received from people around the world. I am overwhelmed by the kindness and prayers of people I have known for years and complete strangers who have never met me. To know that so many people care about me, that they see me as a human being whose life matters, is something I cannot fully put into words. It is humbling, and it has touched me more deeply than I can explain.”
Pike Thanks First Responders, Doctors And Nurses
Pike also thanked the first responders and hospital staff for caring for her following the failed execution. In addition, she thanked her legal team and “everyone” who has supported her.
“I also want to thank the first responders, doctors, nurses and everyone at the hospital who cared for me,” she wrote. “They treated me with compassion, dignity and respect. I will never forget their kindness. I also want to thank my attorneys and everyone who has fought for me, stood beside me, and refused to give up on me. 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. — Christa Pike.”
