Tennessee death row inmate Christa Pike wakes after surviving botched execution

Death row inmate Christa Pike woke up and began speaking nearly a week after surviving a botched execution attempt in Tennessee, according to DW, MSNBC, Fox News, and the BBC. One of her attorneys, Randy Spivey, told reporters on Wednesday in Nashville that she is angry and confused about everything right now after regaining consciousness in hospital. [1][2][3][5]

Attorneys for the 50-year-old believed she was brain dead and expected her to be removed from life support before she unexpectedly woke up, Fox News and CNN reported. According to MSNBC and Fox News, Pike survived despite receiving two lethal doses of pentobarbital on September 30. MSNBC added that according to the Death Penalty Information Center, Pike is the only person to survive after receiving lethal injection drugs during an execution. [1][2][3][4]

A judge ordered Tennessee state officials to preserve all evidence related to the failed execution attempt, according to DW, the Irish Times, and NPR. The ruling followed a court hearing in Nashville on Wednesday. [1][3][7][11]

In 1995, an 18-year-old Pike and her boyfriend lured 19-year-old classmate Colleen Slemmer into a wooded area in Knoxville, where they tortured and killed her. Pike crushed Slemmer's skull with a chunk of asphalt after beating and slashing her. A Knox County jury convicted Pike in March 1996 and recommended the death penalty, making her one of the youngest women sentenced to capital punishment in the United States. [13][14]