Christa Pike Describes Physical and Mental Pain One Month After Failed Execution

Christa Pike says she is still in pain one month after surviving a botched execution in Tennessee. Her attorneys released a statement on Friday in which she described her physical condition and her emotional state since the incident on September 30.

Pike dictated the message to her legal team. She said her body, arms, hands, and throat hurt. She also reported difficulty speaking and described pain in her mind and soul. She is currently staying in the infirmary at the Debra K. Johnson Rehabilitation Center in Nashville.

The statement details the events of the night she was scheduled to die. Pike said she walked into the execution chamber at Riverbend men’s prison prepared to die and had made her peace with her family and witnesses. Days later, she woke up confused and in pain. She said she had not contemplated life beyond that night and was deeply hurt by the incompetence that placed many people in a terrible position.

Pike, who is 50 years old, noted that she has been largely isolated in the prison’s medical ward. She compared this isolation to the 28 years she spent in solitary confinement, calling it a repeat of that condition. She acknowledged the support she has received from people who view her as a human being whose life matters. She said she is trying to heal one day at a time and is holding on to the kindness of those around her.

Pike was sentenced to death for the 1995 murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer. She said she continues to think about Slemmer’s family and the loss they have endured. May Martinez, Slemmer’s mother, told WJXX that she believes the state failed her family. Martinez had traveled from Orange Park, Florida, to Nashville for the execution. Witnesses reported that authorities administered two rounds of lethal pentobarbital, but Pike appeared to be breathing an hour later. She was critically injured and temporarily placed on a ventilator. According to one of her attorneys, she asked, “Where am I?” when she regained consciousness.

The Death Penalty Information Center reports that Pike is the first person known to have survived lethal injection after receiving the medication. Tennessee Governor Bill Lee ordered a temporary halt to scheduled executions following the incident. Frank Strada, the Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Correction, resigned. Lee told reporters this week that he expects Pike’s sentence to remain unchanged unless courts determine otherwise. He stated that she is still incarcerated under state law and that he suspects her sentence will be the same as it was before.

Pike said she does not know why she survived or what comes next. She noted that finding hope is harder on some days than others. She is holding on to the love and kindness of people who have reminded her she is not alone.