Where does her story go from here?
Where does her story go from here?
Christa Pike survived TWO doses of lethal injection dr*gs, woke up from a coma, and is now back behind bars… but what happens to her NEXT might be even more complicated.
The 50-year-old Tennessee death row inmate survived her September 30 execution attempt after the procedure went horribly wrong, leaving her hospitalized for days before she regained consciousness and began recovering.
Now that she’s reportedly walking and has been returned to prison, questions are mounting about whether the state will attempt to execute her AGAIN.
Four possible scenarios are being discussed…
The first is another lethal injection attempt, despite what happened the first time. The second involves Tennessee’s ELECTRIC CHAIR, which remains an authorized execution method under certain circumstances.
Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn has already weighed in, calling for the state to bring back the electric chair and carry out Pike’s death sentence.
A third possibility would be commuting Pike’s sentence to life without parole, something her attorneys previously requested from Tennessee’s governor.
And the fourth?
Her lawyers could potentially argue that she has already undergone the execution she was sentenced to and should be released.
However, that last scenario is highly speculative, and no court would likely accept it.
But here’s where the story takes another unexpected turn…
Before her failed execution, Pike reportedly made a VERY specific request about how she wanted to die.
Rather than lethal injection, she reportedly wanted an ALL-FEMALE FIRING SQUAD, with members of murder victim Colleen Slemmer’s family present to witness the execution.
Her legal team had raised concerns that lethal injection could trigger traumatic memories of childhood abuse, while also arguing that Pike’s small veins and a blood condition could complicate the procedure.
Tennessee, however, does not authorize execution by firing squad.
Pike remains on death row for the 1995 murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer, and officials have not announced whether they intend to pursue another execution attempt.