Nocturnal 
Christa Pike reportedly tried to help the execution team find a vein as they struggled for an hour to set up an IV line during her botched lethal injection in Tennessee, according to her lawyer, as reported by UNILAD.
Pike, 50, survived two doses of the lethal drug pentobarbital on Wednesday, leading the state’s governor to immediately halt all executions for the rest of the year. She remains in hospital in what her legal team describe as a critical condition.
Pike was sentenced to death in 1996, aged 18, for the murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer. She and her then-boyfriend Tadaryl Shipp beat, tortured and killed Slemmer, according to the BBC.
A chaotic scene behind closed curtains
Pike’s lawyer, Randy Spivey, said the execution team spent around an hour trying to establish a working IV line in her arm.
“Last night, the execution team attempted to establish an IV line for an hour,” Spivey told reporters, according to the BBC. “I counted at least seven needles used in her left arm alone, one of which appeared to be bent when it was pulled from her arm after an unsuccessful attempt.”
After the second dose of pentobarbital was administered, witnesses were reportedly kept behind a closed curtain in a darkened room when it became clear Pike was still breathing. “No-one knew what was going on behind that curtain,” Spivey said. “I had no idea when and if medical professionals began to assist.”
Pike was eventually taken to hospital by ambulance, where she remains in critical condition, “receiving life-saving care”, according to her legal team. A medical expert cited by LADbible has warned it is “very possible” she has suffered brain damage, though this has not been confirmed.
Colleen Slemmer’s mother, May Martinez, who travelled to Tennessee to witness the execution, told NBC News afterwards that “it was a mess”.
Governor orders review, pauses executions
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has ordered an independent review into what went wrong, though it’s not yet clear who will carry it out.
“There are a lot of questions,” Lee said. “The people of our state deserve to have those questions answered, and that’s what this investigation is for.” He said the review “will be thorough” and “it’s going to take time”.
The pause in executions will overlap with the planned 3 December execution of convicted murderer Gary Sutton, who is also on Tennessee’s death row.
The Tennessee Department of Correction, which carried out the execution, has issued a statement defending its handling of the procedure, though full details have not been released.
Lawyers call for sentence to be commuted
Pike’s legal team are now asking Governor Lee to commute her death sentence, a request that was previously denied before this week’s attempt went ahead following a last-minute legal battle that reached the US Supreme Court.
Another of her lawyers, Stephen Ferrell, said they were exploring further legal options. “We want to think this through and we want to make sure that Christa recovers and has some input in what she wants,” he said.
For now, Pike remains in hospital, and the full findings of the state’s investigation are still awaited.
