Christa Pike suffering from pneumonia, unable to move arms after botched execution, lawyers say

Christa Pike’s attorneys say she is being treated in a Tennessee hospital for pneumonia and a blood clot. They also report that she has difficulty swallowing and cannot move her arms or hands.

Her lawyer said attorneys were initially told she was brain-dead and would be taken off life support. The following day, she woke and began speaking. Her recovery outlook is uncertain, and she continues to receive intensive care as doctors work to remove pentobarbital from her body.

A judge ordered Tennessee to retain materials and information related to the Sept. 30 execution attempt, including medical supplies and equipment used in the chamber. The directive is intended to prevent relevant evidence from being lost or deleted.

Pike’s lawyers allege execution staff failed to properly place an IV and detect a damaged vein, causing the lethal drug to spread through her body. They say records from the procedure may support legal efforts to prevent another execution; the state has not promised she will be spared one.

Pike was sentenced to death for the 1995 murder of Colleen Slemmer, who was 19. Pike was 18 at the time. Her lawyers say she faces at least a lengthy recovery, while the evidence-preservation order sets up further legal arguments.