Lawyer says Christa Pike hospitalized after failed execution attempt

Christa Pike, 50, was scheduled to be executed by lethal injection on Wednesday at 10 a.m. CT. That was the scheduled time for the state to carry out her death sentence.

In a 2-1 decision issued within two hours of the scheduled execution, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit paused it until a further court order. Judge Jane Branstetter Stranch wrote that the pause was necessary to review whether Pike's allegations of childhood sexual abuse and rape had been fully considered before she was sentenced to death.

Tennessee Department of Correction Warden Kenneth Nelsen asked the Supreme Court to lift the stay. He argued that Pike was unlikely to succeed because her claim had already been presented unsuccessfully, and cited the state's interest in finality and surviving victims' right to closure.

Randy Spivey said at a virtual news conference Thursday afternoon that he had been told she was in critical condition and receiving life-saving care. He declined to provide further details.

Christa Pike, 50, was taken from a prison execution chamber to a hospital Wednesday night, still alive after two doses of pentobarbital intended to carry out her execution.

Spivey urged Governor Bill Lee to scrap Pike's death sentence. Lee had denied a request for clemency earlier in the week.

The Tennessee Department of Correction said it had followed every step of the state's lawful, established execution protocol. It also said Pike was subsequently taken to an off-site medical facility.

Governor Lee called for a comprehensive review of the failed execution by a third party.

UN rights chief Volker Turk urged Tennessee not to attempt to execute Pike again.

Christa Pike's attorneys asked a state court Friday to order Tennessee's department of correction to preserve all evidence from her failed execution. The request concerns evidence from the state's unsuccessful attempt to carry out her death sentence.

In a court filing Friday, her attorneys said Pike remained hospitalized and unconscious, with a machine helping her breathe. Their account described continued hospitalization and the need for breathing support after the failed execution in Tennessee.

The attorneys said hospital staff were working to save Pike's life and clear the pentobarbital she had been administered from her system as of late Thursday.

In the court filing, Pike's attorneys said they believed problems with intravenous lines caused the pentobarbital to enter her body instead of her bloodstream.

Tennessee administered two doses of the drug to Pike on Wednesday in its failed attempt to execute her.

Governor Bill Lee has ordered a third-party investigation into the failed execution and has paused executions in Tennessee.