By Islam El-Sakka
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee indicated Wednesday that convicted murderer Christa Pike’s death sentence will likely remain unchanged unless the courts rule otherwise, one month after her lethal injection execution was halted when she survived the procedure.
Execution halted after inmate survives lethal injection
Pike, 50, was sentenced to death for the 1995 beating and stabbing death of her classmate Colleen Slemmer. On September 30, she received a double dose of lethal injection drugs but did not die. During the execution, Pike initially spoke of being at peace, then complained of arm pain before losing consciousness. Media witnesses were escorted out and an ambulance transported her to a hospital.
Governor halts executions pending investigation
Lee, a Republican, has suspended all executions in Tennessee through the end of the year while officials investigate what went wrong. Asked whether the state would seek to execute Pike again or commute her sentence to life in prison, Lee said: “As it relates to a particular individual like Christa Pike and her crime, she’s still incarcerated under the laws of the State of Tennessee. I suspect her sentence will be the same as before unless determined otherwise by the courts.”
Inmate recovering in prison medical facility
Pike awoke with no memory of the ordeal, described by her attorneys as “angry and confused.” She was discharged on October 10 and returned to the Debra K. Johnson Rehabilitation Center in Nashville, where she has been housed for 30 years and continues to receive medical care. Her attorneys say her prognosis remains unclear.
First known survival of lethal injection execution
The Death Penalty Information Center says Pike is the first person to survive after receiving lethal injection drugs during an execution. Meanwhile, Frank Strada, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Correction, has announced his resignation. Anti-death penalty activists are calling for Pike’s sentence to be commuted to life without parole and for an end to capital punishment in the United States.
