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Christina Pike issued a statement following the Tennessee Department of Corrections’ execution attempt last month. Pike escaped execution on Wednesday, September 30, despite having been given two lethal injections.
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Christa Pike is executed in Tennessee
Christa Pike released a statement after surviving a botched death by the Tennessee Department of Corrections. The Shade Room said the State of Tennessee failed to execute Pike at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution last month. Pike was reportedly given two fatal doses of the drug pentobarbital, according to The Tennessean. Pike obtained the drug at the facility in Nashville.
Pentobarbital is reportedly used for lethal injection because it suppresses breathing and induces sedation at high doses. According to the National Library of Medicine, two to ten grams of the drug is fatal within 15 to 30 minutes. However, Pike was still breathing after the second injection and was rushed to the hospital.
Her attorneys, Randy Spivey and Kelly Gleason, said at a hearing in August that the 50-year-old was diagnosed with thrombocytosis, according to PBS. They said the location of the vein would make it difficult to find a viable vein on Pike.
The staff reportedly used at least 10 needles trying to find a vein on Pike. During the execution attempt, Pike said, “My arm feels like it’s going to split open.”
Pike reportedly spent several days unconscious and on a ventilator. Besides, she was not expected to live. Execution Tony Carruthers in Tennessee earlier this year were also botched when they couldn’t find a vein for the IV, according to WSSB. Dr. Mark Fowler overseeing both executions.
Christa Pike’s Post-Execution Statement of Affairs
Pike released a statement a month after surviving the execution attempt, and noted the physical and emotional toll the ordeal took on her, according to WKRN. Additionally, she described waking up in the hospital confused. Pike reportedly gave the statement to her legal team, according to ABC News.
“One month ago on September 30th, I walked into the execution chamber at Riverbend Men’s Prison ready to die,” she wrote. “I was at peace. I had told the people who loved me, supported me, and stood by me through the years; I was grateful for them. I had also told the people in the room who were there to see my execution that I was leaving them in loving kindness. A few days later I woke up alone in the hospital, confused and in pain. There hasn’t been a moment since That night when my hands hurt. I still struggle to speak. And the pain is only physical.
She also expressed remorse for her victim’s family. Pike was convicted of first-degree murder for the brutal 1995 death of her classmate, Colleen Slemmer, in Knoxville.
“I still think about my victim’s family and the terrible pain and loss they suffered,” she continued. “I’m recovering, and I know I’m getting stronger. But recovery isn’t the same as being okay. Since that night, I’ve been mostly isolated in the prison medical ward, away from other people and the human connections that mean so much to me. That isolation brings its own kind of pain. I spent 28 years in solitary confinement and much of what I do suffering today is one thing that made me find that situation is the amazing love and support I have received from people all over the world.
Pike thanks the first responders, doctors and nurses
Pike also thanked the first responders and hospital staff for caring for her after her execution. In addition, she thanked her legal team and “everyone” who supported her.
“I also want to thank the first responders, doctors, nurses and everyone at the hospital who cared for me,” she wrote. “They treated me with compassion, dignity and respect. I will never forget their kindness. I also want to thank my lawyers and everyone who fought for me, stood by me, and refused to give up on me. I don’t know why I survived that night. I don’t know what’s coming. Some days, finding hope is harder than others. For now, I’m trying to heal, one day that has kindness and love. It reminded me that I’m not alone – Christa Pike.
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