NASHVILLE: Convicted murderer Christa Pike has returned to prison in Tennessee, United States, after surviving a failed execution attempt, her lawyers announced on Saturday.
Pike, 50, is back at the Debra K. Johnson Rehabilitation Centre, where she has spent more than 30 years. Her lawyers confirmed that she continues to receive medical care.
After the failed attempt, the Tennessee Department of Correction defended its procedures. It maintained that staff followed every step of the approved execution protocol. The department added that its rules did not permit procedures beyond those staff carried out.
Authorities administered two doses of pentobarbital on September 30, but Pike survived. Her condition was critical when she arrived at the hospital. She later regained consciousness.
Earlier in the week, her lawyers described her as able to walk but still mentally confused. They thanked first responders and her medical team for their care.
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Her legal challenges reached the United States Supreme Court before the attempted execution. Lawyers had argued that the intravenous protocol risked unnecessary suffering because of her small veins and a blood condition.
Pike received a death sentence for murdering her classmate Colleen Slemmer in Knoxville, Tennessee. She committed the crime as a teenager.
Since the failed execution, her legal team has repeatedly urged Tennessee Governor Bill Lee to commute her sentence to life in prison.
“We will continue to track her recovery,” her lawyers said as they announced her hospital discharge on Saturday.
Lee has suspended executions in the state pending an independent investigation.
(With additional input from AFP)
