Christa Pike 'critically ill' after botched execution, attorney says
Death row inmate Christa Pike remains in critical condition following a botched execution attempt in Tennessee. Her attorneys report that the execution team struggled to establish IV lines, leading to a failed procedure that has left her hospitalized.
Why it matters
The incident has sparked renewed debate regarding the ethics, legality, and technical failures associated with the death penalty in the United States.
Hear this story Death row inmate Christa Pike remains hospitalized in critical condition days after surviving a failed execution attempt in Tennessee , her attorney said on Oct. 4.
Pike, 50, was taken to a Nashville-area hospital on Sept. 30 after receiving two doses of pentobarbital . She was intubated, on a ventilator and unconscious, and both her arms where were swollen, burned and blistered from the lethal injection drugs, according to an emergency court motion filed Oct. 2.
Attorney Stephen Ferrell told CNN on Oct. 4 that he has not yet been able to see Pike. But Ferrell said her condition "remains the same," and doctors are still working to clear the drugs from her system after the botched execution.
"She's still in the hospital on a ventilator, critically ill," Ferrell told the outlet. "We don't really know the prognosis yet and may not know for several days."
Also covering this story
17 other newsrooms covered this event. We read each version separately.
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