Full statements as Christa Pike is conscious and talking again following failed lethal injection

It has been reported that Christa Pike is awake and talking again, following her failed lethal injection attempt. Last week, the death row inmate survived two doses of a lethal injection, but up until now there had been little to no update on her condition in hospital. 

50-year-old Pike remains in a critical condition and is said to be handcuffed to a bed in hospital, having suffered severe damage to her arms. In a statement, her attorneys Randy Spivey and Kelly Gleason said: “Against all odds, Christa Pike is conscious, speaking, and continues to receive critical medical care.”

It added: “Despite the severe damage she endured to her arms, she is still handcuffed and shackled to the bed. Her recovery is medically unprecedented. Her prognosis remains unclear but, at a minimum, we expect a long recovery.”

Her attorneys said they remain grateful for the first responders and the medical team at the hospital “who treated Christa like a human and have provided exceptional care to her”.

They said: “She is the only person known to have survived a complete execution attempt in the US. Christa is a survivor and will take recovery one day at a time. We continue to ask the Governor of Tennessee to commute Christa Pike’s sentence to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.”

via Tennessee Department of Correction

Dr. Joel Zivot, who has consulted as an expert to Pike’s legal team, told Associated Press the latest development “bodes well for a good recovery.”

Most Read

This year is slightly different, so here is the episode schedule for Celebrity Traitors this week

I’ve just realised that three cast members from Celebrity Traitors were in Game of Thrones

The ridiculous fortunes of The Celebrity Traitors: Their net worths, from £500K to £50 million

He told the publication: “She’s still in the ICU. She has recovered to a certain degree that she’s able to be off a ventilator and able to speak, but in no way would I announce her free of further serious risk. There are still a lot of bad things that can happen here, even when everyone is doing their job well.”

Previously, it had been said Pike was on a ventilator, and her lawyer explained that we may not know for several more days whether or not she will ever recover. 

Christa Pike was set to be the first woman in Tennessee to be executed in 200 years. She was sentenced to death on March 30th 1996, after torturing and killing her classmate in a jealous rage because she thought she was attempting to “steal” her boyfriend, Tadaryl Shipp. 

Pike, who was 18 at the time, and Shipp, 17, lured 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer into the woods, beat her for 30 minutes, carved a pentagram into her chest and forehead and killed her by hitting her head with a large piece of asphalt. They both confessed to the killing, and were convicted of first-degree murder.

It’s currently unclear if the state will attempt to execute her once again. But, experts have argued this is unlikely, and will come down to her competence and how well her brain recovers. 

For more, like The Tab on Facebook. Featured image via Tennessee Department of Correction.