American woman who survived execution attempt recounted what happened to her
American Christa Pike, who was sentenced to death and survived two failed injections, has spoken publicly for the first time about what happened to her, writes BBC.
In September, at a Tennessee state prison, Christa Pike was twice administered pentobarbital, but neither dose resulted in death. According to medics, an insufficient amount of the drug entered the woman's bloodstream.
In her statement, published on social media by her lawyers, Pike said that after the procedure she woke up alone in the hospital, not understanding what was happening and feeling pain:
«Since that day, there hasn't been a single moment when I haven't felt pain. My body aches. My arms ache. My hands ache. My throat aches. I still have difficulty speaking. And it's not just physical pain. The pain pierces my conscience and my soul.»
After the failed execution attempt, 50-year-old Pike was taken to the hospital in critical condition. She was later returned to prison, where she has been for nearly 30 years. Previously, lawyers reported that after the injections, the woman developed pneumonia, swollen hands, and difficulty swallowing.
Pike was sentenced to death for the murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer, committed in 1995. At that time, Christa was 18 years old, and her then-boyfriend Tadarrell Shipp was 17. They beat and tortured the girl, whom they met at a camp for troubled teenagers, and then killed her. Shipp was not sentenced to death because he was a minor at the time of the crime. He remains incarcerated.
Pike was to become the first woman executed in Tennessee in 200 years. But this case became the only known instance where a person survived a lethal injection.
In her statement, the woman noted that she is gradually recovering and feeling stronger, but the healing of wounds does not yet mean that everything is fine with her. She also stated that she was deeply affected by the incompetence that put so many people in a terrible position.
Tennessee authorities have not yet explained why the execution attempt failed. At the same time, they insisted that the method of execution chosen was correct.
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