Christa Pike remains critically ill after failed Tennessee execution
publishers 15articles 15first reported 4 Oct, 14:45 UTCdeveloping since 4 Oct · 13 editions
Christa Pike remained unconscious, critically ill and on a ventilator Sunday, four days after surviving two lethal-injection attempts in Tennessee, according to her lawyer.
Assistant Federal Defender Stephen Ferrell told CNN that doctors at a Nashville hospital were trying to clear two doses of pentobarbital from Pike’s body. He said her prognosis might remain unclear for several days and that, to his knowledge, she had not regained consciousness. Ferrell has been receiving updates through the person holding Pike’s medical power of attorney rather than directly from doctors.
Tennessee prison officials administered two doses of pentobarbital Wednesday, but neither killed Pike. Her lawyers said the drugs burned and blistered her arms. State authorities have not explained why the execution failed or said whether they will attempt to execute her again. The Tennessee Department of Correction said its lethal-injection protocol did not permit procedures beyond those carried out.
Governor Bill Lee suspended executions in the state for the remainder of the year, and Tennessee’s prisons chief said he would resign Saturday.
Pike, 50, was sentenced to death for the 1995 torture and murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer. Ferrell called on Lee to commute Pike’s sentence to life imprisonment. Pike’s lawyers have also asked a court to require prison officials to preserve records, communications, images and video from the attempted execution.
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Written from 3 articles, 2 with the publisher's own text; 3 independent newsrooms once syndicated copies count as one; this version written 6 h after the record first saw the story; the editor kept it as written.
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- Source articles
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- Given to the writer
- 3, 2 with the article's own text
- Independent newsrooms
- 3
- This version written
- 6 h after the record first saw the story
- Second model (editor)
- kept as written
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- Human review
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WHAT THE EDITOR DID
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