Christa Pike suffering from pneumonia, unable to move arms after botched execution, lawyers say
Death row inmate Christa Pike is recovering in a hospital after surviving a botched execution attempt in Tennessee. Her legal team reports she is regaining some mobility and cognitive function, though the long-term effects of the procedure remain uncertain.
Why it matters
The case raises significant ethical and legal questions regarding the state's use of capital punishment and the medical consequences of failed lethal injections.
Christa Pike's attorneys said she had pneumonia, a blood clot, couldn't swallow, and was unable to move her arms or hands once she regained consciousness in a Tennessee hospital, days after the death row inmate survived a botched execution by the state. Pike on Wednesday began "taking limited steps" with help, according to her team. And on Thursday, her attorneys detailed more progress, saying in a statement that she was walking "with some assistance," and her arms were "healing and regaining movement and strength." They also said that her "lungs are clear, and she has started to eat a regular diet."But they previously cautioned that the lethal drugs she received may have lasting consequences for her mobility."Her hands looked like if you were to blow up a surgical glove," one of Pike's attorneys, Randy Spivey, told reporters at a Wednesday news conference.
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17 other newsrooms covered this event. We read each version separately.
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