Christa Pike Conscious and Speaking After Botched Execution, Lawyers Say

Christa Pike, the Tennessee death row inmate who survived the state's attempt to execute her on September 30, is conscious and speaking as she receives treatment at a hospital, her attorneys said Tuesday.

Pike, 50, who was set to be the first woman executed in Tennessee in more than 200 years, survived two doses of pentobarbital in a failed procedure that sparked international headlines and widespread condemnation.

"Against all odds, Christa Pike is conscious, speaking and continues to receive critical medical care. Despite the severe damage she endured to her arms, she is still handcuffed and shackled to the bed. Her recovery is medically unprecedented. Her prognosis remains unclear but, at a minimum, we expect a long recovery," her attorneys said in a statement.

Witnesses to the execution attempt described hearing Pike choking and struggling for an hour after receiving the first injection. A second dose also failed to end her life, and she was rushed to a hospital where she was put on a ventilator.

Following the botched attempt, Tennessee's prison chief, Frank Strada, resigned amid intensifying scrutiny. Attorneys said Pike's case was the fifth botched execution under Strada's leadership across two states. One of Pike's lawyers, Randy Spivey, called the process "cruel and torturous," saying he counted seven needles in Pike's left arm, one of which appeared bent when removed.

Pike's attorneys had warned before the execution that officials might struggle to locate veins, but the state pushed to proceed and the U.S. Supreme Court allowed the prison to move forward. Her legal team is now asking the Governor of Tennessee to commute her sentence to life imprisonment without parole.

"She is the only person known to have survived a complete execution attempt in the US. Christa is a survivor and will take recovery one day at a time," they said.

Reporting by The Guardian. Read the original report: Christa Pike is conscious and speaking after botched execution attempt. Additional reporting by the BBC. Read BBC's report.