Survivor of Tennessee Execution Describes Constant Pain

Christa Pike reported feeling pain every single moment since surviving a failed lethal injection in Tennessee on Sept. 30. Her first public statement since the event was released by her attorneys on Friday. Pike, 50, dictated the message from the infirmary at the prison where she is currently housed.

The state attempted to execute Pike for the 1995 stabbing death of classmate Colleen Slemmer. During the procedure, medical staff administered two doses of pentobarbital. The drug failed to stop her heart, and Pike was hospitalized in the immediate aftermath. She has since been moved to the Debra K. Johnson Rehabilitation Center.

Pike said she entered the execution chamber expecting to die in peace. She described waking up alone and confused in a hospital bed. "There hasn’t been a moment since that night when I haven’t been in pain. My body hurts. My arms hurt. My hands hurt. My throat hurts. I still struggle to speak. And the pain isn’t just physical. There is pain in my mind and in my soul," she said.

The convicted murderer acknowledged that she had not planned for life after her execution date. She expressed frustration regarding the medical handling of the event. "I’m deeply hurt by the incompetence that has put so many people in this terrible position. I continue to think about my victim’s family and the terrible pain and loss they have endured," Pike stated.

Pike expressed gratitude for the medical workers who saved her life and for the public support she has received. She noted that finding hope is difficult on some days. "I don’t know why I survived that night. I don’t know what comes next. Some days, finding hope is harder than others. For now, I am trying to heal, one day at a time. And I am holding on to the love and kindness of so many people who have reminded me that I am not alone," she said.

Pike’s legal team has asked Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee to reduce her sentence to life imprisonment. Lee told reporters this week that he suspects her sentence will remain unchanged unless the courts rule otherwise. The governor also ordered an investigation into the failed execution and postponed the state’s other lethal injection scheduled for this year.

Pike was 18 when she killed Slemmer with her boyfriend. She became one of the youngest women sentenced to death in the state. The prison infirmary where she dictated her statement is part of the facility that houses her following her hospitalization.