Christa Pike says she's in 'constant pain' since surviving execution attempt
Christa Pike, a death row inmate in Tennessee, has spoken out about the physical and mental pain she has endured since surviving a botched execution attempt in September. Pike, who was convicted of a 1995 murder, is now the first known survivor of a full lethal dose of execution drugs.
Why it matters
This case has reignited intense ethical and legal debates regarding the use of the death penalty and the reliability of lethal injection protocols in the United States.
"My body hurts. My arms hurt. My hands hurt. My throat hurts," said Pike in a statement that was dictated to her legal team and released Friday.
"I still struggle to speak. And the pain isn't just physical. There is pain in my mind and in my soul."
Pike survived two doses of the drug pentobarbital as the state tried to execute her on Sept. 30 for the 1995 stabbing death of classmate Colleen Slemmer. Pike was 18 when she tortured and killed Slemmer with her boyfriend, becoming one of the youngest women to be sentenced to death in the U.S.
Tennessee may try to execute Christa Pike again. The state could face legal hurdles
The slaying involved the perpetrators carving the shape of a pentagram in the victim's chest and taking a chunk of her skull as a souvenir.
Also covering this story
6 other newsrooms covered this event. We read each version separately.
Christa Pike says she feels constant pain in her first statement since failed Tennessee execution
'Don't Know Why I Survived': Christa Pike's First Words After Failed Execution In US
Christa Pike says there is ‘pain in my mind and in my soul’ one month after her failed execution
‘I’m deeply hurt’: Christa Pike releases first statement since botched execution
Christa Pike makes first public comments since failed execution: ‘There is pain in my mind and in my soul’
US inmate Christa Pike says she woke up 'confused and in pain' after failed execution
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