In brief
Christa Pike, 50, survived a failed execution attempt last week and is currently receiving critical medical care in a Nashville hospital while still handcuffed. The death‑row inmate was executed for the 1995 murder of Colleen Slemmer and the botched attempt involved two lethal injections that failed. Her lawyers report that she is conscious and speaking following the clearing of pentobarbitol from her system. The incident has sparked renewed debate over the use of lethal injection, and the story continues to unfold with live updates.
Christa Pike, 50, remains conscious and speaking after a failed execution attempt, her lawyers have confirmed.
The death‑row inmate, sentenced in 1995 for the murder of Colleen Slemmer, was transferred to a Nashville hospital where she is receiving critical medical care while handcuffed.
According to the attorneys, local medical staff cleared her body of the pentobarbitol used in the lethal injection, after she was initially unconscious.
The execution performed last week involved two lethal injections and was announced as a botched attempt, leaving Pike alive but in need of treatment.
Updated 21:01 BST, 6 Oct 2026.
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