Less than a month ago, the state of Tennessee attempted to execute Christa Pike via lethal injection. Now, her lawyer, in a new court filing, says that the Tennessee execution team members knew the IV site was a no-go, gave the warning, but proceeded anyway. The execution attempt failed, landing Pike in the hospital and back in prison after regaining consciousness.
RELATED: Christa Pike’s First Words & Medical Complications After Botched Lethal Injection Revealed (VIDEO)
Execution Team Allegedly Knew Christa Pike’s IV Site Presented Complications
Tennessee execution team members failed multiple times to establish working IV lines in Christa Pike’s arms before her attempted execution on Sept. 30. Her attorney, Randy Spivey, revealed the update in a court document filed on Thursday (Oct. 22). Also, the team warned that some of Pike’s veins may have ruptured, or “blown,” before she was injected with pentobarbital.
AP reports that the IV team went through about 10 needles in the failed execution. Additionally, they tried several IV sites on both arms, Spivey wrote in the document. They even struggled to push saline through the last IV site they established, Spivey wrote.
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The purpose of this new filing is to seemingly add a detailed account of what happened on Sept. 30 to her larger legal fight. It is not a new lawsuit or a hearing request.
Why Was Pike Given Two Lethal Doses?
As previously reported, Chrisa Pike, now 50, was sentenced to death in the 1995 stabbing death of classmate Colleen Slemmer. She was 18 when she tortured and killed Slemmer with her boyfriend. Pike became one of the youngest women to be sentenced to death following the trial.
State protocol calls for a second dose of pentobarbital if the first doesn’t result in death, like in Pike’s case. However, it doesn’t spell out what to do if a person survives the second injection.
What Happened To Christa After Failed Execution?
After being taken to a hospital, Christa Pike was on a ventilator for several days. At one point, her attorneys did not expect her to survive. She ultimately regained consciousness. She returned to prison after the hospital discharged her. The failed execution has brought renewed scrutiny to how Tennessee carries out death sentences.
RELATED: Yikes! Tennessee’s Prison Chief Is Resigning After Failed Execution Of Christa Pike (UPDATE)
Associated Press writers Rebecca Boone and Kim Chandler contributed to this report via AP Newsroom.
