Christa Pike on ventilator after failed execution attempt in Tennessee: lawyers

A Tennessee death row inmate remained unconscious on a ventilator Friday after surviving the state’s botched execution attempt this week, and her lawyers accused prison officials of ignoring months of warnings that the lethal injection could turn catastrophic.

Christa Pike was scheduled to be executed for the torture murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer in 1995. She would have become the first woman executed in Tennessee in more than 200 years before Wednesday night’s failed execution attempt.

Pike’s attorneys filed an emergency motion in Davidson County Chancery Court seeking an order requiring the Tennessee Department of Corrections to preserve evidence related to what they described as a “botched execution attempt” by the state.

They argue the records are essential to determining what happened, protecting Pike’s legal rights and ensuring accountability.

Death row inmate Tony Carruthers won’t be executed for at least a year after IV line failure in Tennessee.

Christa Gail Pike was scheduled to be executed on September 30. (Tennessee Department of Corrections via AP)

“Christa remains seriously ill and is receiving medical treatment for the devastating effects of Wednesday evening’s events,” attorneys Stephen Ferrell and Luke Ihnen said in a statement Friday. “As detailed in today’s filing, Christa remains hospitalized following Wednesday evening’s failed execution attempt.

“She is seriously ill, unconscious, intubated and receiving respiratory assistance from a ventilator,” they added. “She is being treated for serious effects of the pentobarbital administered during the attempted execution, including significant injuries to both arms.”

MULTIPLE DEATH SENTENCES IN DIFFERENT STATES SHOULD BE CARRIED OUT WITHIN 24 HOURS: “NOT VERY COMMON”

The emergency motion paints a much more detailed picture of what Pike’s lawyers say took place in the execution chamber.

Pike’s team says the execution team struggled to establish IV access, using at least seven needles before administering two lethal doses of pentobarbital.

THREE INMATES SENTENCED TO DEATH EXECUTED BY LETHAL INJECTION IN RARE CHAIN ​​ON SAME DAY ACROSS THE UNITED STATES

A stretcher used to execute prisoners by lethal injection (Texas Department of Corrections//AFP via Getty Images)

The filing also alleges that Pike suggested where staff should try to insert the IV, that a needle was bent at a 90-degree angle when it was removed and that she could be heard crying, moaning and breathing heavily throughout the procedure.

Pike also reportedly told those carrying out the execution, “My arm feels like it’s about to burst,” before later asking, “Is that how it feels?”

JUSTICE DEPARTMENT ANNOUNCES IT RE-ADOPTING THE FIRING RUN AS A MEANS OF EXECUTION

The motion says Pike arrived at the hospital with both arms “swollen, burned and blistered.” It also says medical experts have compared pentobarbital to “bleach” or “Drano,” describing it as a highly caustic substance capable of burning skin, tissue and veins.

A split image shows Christa Pike at her 1995 murder trial, left, and Colleen Slemmer, the young woman she was convicted of torturing and killing, right. (Reuters)

FOLLOW THE FOX TRUE CRIME TEAM ON X

Pike’s lawyers say none of these complications should have come as a surprise.

JUDGE BLOCKS NITROGEN GAS EXECUTION METHOD IN ALABAMA, DEEMS IT UNCONSTITUTIONALLY CRUEL

Months before the execution, they warned the state that Pike’s thrombocytosis, post-traumatic stress disorder, small veins and a history of difficult needle insertion made it far more likely that prison officials would have difficulty establishing and maintaining intravenous access. They also warned that inappropriate administration of pentobarbital could result in “serious illness, unnecessary suffering, and/or prolonged or prolonged death.”

“His concerns have been characterized as ‘speculation’; they have been ridiculed, mocked and dismissed,” the motion states. “In the words of one media witness: We have a lot of questions and the Department of Correction has a lot of answers that it needs to provide to the public about what happened here. We agree.”

READ THE DEPOSIT:

SUBSCRIBE TO GET THE LATEST TRUE CRIME NEWS

The attorneys further claim the execution team failed to recognize that Pike’s IV lines had failed before administering another dose of pentobarbital.

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE FOX TRUE CRIME HUB

“Apparently, at no time did any member of the execution team realize that the IV lines were not properly placed or that the veins had burst and that pentobarbital was entering, in whole or in part, Ms. Pike’s body,” the motion states.

“Instead of remedying this failure, TDOC chose to prepare a backup set of syringes (if they were not also prepared earlier in the day) and then administer another lethal dose of pentobarbital.”

SEND US A TIP

Lawyers say it is now critical to preserve evidence of the attempted execution as the case moves forward.

DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE?

“In light of the clear violation of Ms. Pike’s constitutional rights, the actionable nature of that violation, and the reasonable foreseeability of the litigation, Defendants have an affirmative duty to preserve all relevant physical, written, and electronic evidence,” the motion states.

LISTEN TO THE NEW PODCAST “CRIME & JUSTICE WITH DONNA ROTUNNO”

Fox News Digital has reached out to the Tennessee Department of Corrections and the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office for comment.

RECEIVE THE LATEST NEWS BY EMAIL

“The governor has rightly called for an investigation. We need to know what happened,” said a spokesperson for the attorney general’s office.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP