A Tennessee death row inmate has woken up in hospital days after a lethal injection attempt, just when her family says they were told she was brain dead and that her ventilator would soon be switched off. Christa Pike, 50, was supposed to be the first woman executed in the state in more than 200 years. Instead, she is reported to have become the first person in the U.S. to survive a lethal injection.
A call that changed everything
Pike’s aunt, Carrie Ross, said the family received grim news after doctors tried to bring Pike out of a coma. "We got word that she was brain dead and they were taking off the ventilator," said Ross. According to her, the plan was to "let her die" at 1 o’clock the following day.
The Tennessee Department of Corrections had tried to carry out the execution on Sept. 30. Then, on Tuesday, nearly a week later, Pike regained consciousness. Her legal team said they had been given the same message as the family, that she was brain dead and that life support would be withdrawn.
Attorney Randy Spivey admitted he had no explanation. "I do not have an explanation for what happened between Monday night and Tuesday morning," he said, "but what we do know is Christa has a long road to recovery." Her lawyers said she woke "against all odds" and can speak, though her communication is "limited."
A long road back
Pike’s health problems are serious. She reportedly has pneumonia and a blood clot in one arm. Spivey said both arms and hands are "tremendously swollen," and that nobody knows what function she may regain.
She received at least seven injections during the attempt, and at one point she directed prison staff where to inject her. As far as her attorneys know, her first words after waking were "Where am I?" and "Who are you?"
She has shown signs of "cognitive confusion," but her lawyers say she is "very aware" that the state tried to execute her. Dr. Joel Zivot, an anesthesiologist advising her team, said she has no memory of the execution itself.
The crime behind the case
Pike has spent 30 years on death row for the 1995 murder of Colleen Slemmer, who was 19. The two were classmates at a Job Corps program in Knoxville. Pike had become convinced that Slemmer was trying to steal her boyfriend, 17-year-old Tadaryl Shipp.
On the night of Jan. 12, Pike and Shipp lured Slemmer into a wooded area. What followed was a brutal attack lasting about 30 minutes. Pike delivered the fatal blow, and she kept a piece of her victim’s skull as a macabre souvenir.
Where things stand
For now, Pike remains in hospital, handcuffed to her bed. Her family has not been able to speak with her since she woke up and has been relying on her attorneys to pass on news. They say she knew who she was and where she was.
For her relatives, the past days have been dizzying. "This whole week has been a blur," Ross said.
Image credit: Tennessee Department of Correcti
Source: Daily Express US
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