Woman who survived execution is ‘angry’, ‘confused’

(AP):

Christa Pike was “angry and confused” in the hours after regaining consciousness following Tennessee’s failed execution attempt, first asking, “Where am I?” her lawyer said on Wednesday.

Pike, believed to be the first person to survive after receiving lethal injection drugs during an execution, stunningly woke up as plans were being made to remove her from life support, just six days after she was strapped to a gurney in the death chamber, said attorney Randy Spivey.

“But, on Tuesday, to the shock of everyone ... Christa woke up and began talking,” Spivey said.

Pike, who was sentenced to death for the 1995 beating and stabbing death of classmate Colleen Slemmer, is aware of what happened to her, at least up to a point, Spivey said. Many questions remain, though, about her prognosis for recovery and whether Tennessee will make another attempt to execute Pike, now age 50.

Her lawyers said that she has suffered enough and want the governor to commute her sentence. A judge in Nashville told the state on Wednesday to save evidence from the execution attempt as Pike’s attorneys try to find out more. The failed execution on September 30 has renewed scrutiny of how states carry out the death penalty, in particular the use of lethal injections.

Pike’s legal team said she still can’t move her arms or swallow and has some cognitive confusion. She also has pneumonia and a blood clot in her arm, Spivey said. Her hands were extremely swollen when they saw her on Tuesday in the hospital, shackled to a bed, he added. Her prognosis remains unclear and she has a long road to recovery, he said.

Chancery Court Judge I’Ashea Myles said she plans to issue a sweeping order that will direct the state to maintain recordings, witness accounts, emails, drugs, syringes, IV lines and other medical items from the execution. The Tennessee Attorney General’s Office had argued a court order was unnecessary. John W. Ayers, assistant attorney general, said some evidence from the death chamber already had been collected and logged. He declined to comment after the hearing.

Pike’s attorneys accused the state of carrying out the attempted execution in secrecy, saying more transparency is needed. They also repeated their calls for clemency for Pike. Republican Governor Bill Lee has not yet indicated how he’ll respond.

Outside the courthouse, Michelle Nowell yelled “Justice for Colleen” as Pike’s attorneys talked with supporters.

“The victim is Colleen. The victim is not Christa Pike,” said Nowell, who was among a group outside the prison last week where the failed execution took place.

What happened in the execution chamber remains unclear. Medical and lethal injection experts have focused on the possibility that a problem with the IV line caused the drug to pool in her tissue rather than entering her bloodstream.