Christa Pike says she has “returned to the hospital emergency room once” since returning to prison following her recent hospitalisation.
In a court declaration obtained by PEOPLE, she also raises fears about infection from cleaning her prison shower. Her declaration was filed with an emergency motion that is seeking to have her reintegrated with other members of the prison population.
The filing follows her failed execution and subsequent discharge from a Nashville hospital on October 9. In September, Pike was hospitalised after surviving two lethal injections. She was facing the death penalty for murdering Colleen Slemmer in 1995.
Christa Pike raises prison shower concerns after hospital visit
In a new declaration, Pike claims she must clean a “roach-infested shower” in prison, which she fears could expose her to a “high risk of infection and further injury”.
She also says her emergency department visit did not result in another inpatient admission.
In her declaration, Pike says she can’t return to the pod she was housed in before her failed execution.
“This pod houses inmates with significant histories of assaults and disciplinary problems. In my two years living in this pod after entering into the settlement, I witnessed multiple assaults by close custody inmates of other inmates and guards, multiple individuals who were undergoing acute psychological breakdowns, and significant danger,” Pike writes.
She goes on to say that in her current condition, it would be dangerous to house her in that pod.
“I could not defend myself or get away if another inmate attacked me. I am afraid that I will be seriously hurt if I am moved to that pod while I am this weak,” she adds.
Pike adds that she would like to be involved in “group meals, group classes, lobby time, group religious services, work assignments, or shared recreation”.
In an earlier prison statement, Pike described continuing physical and emotional pain following the failed execution. Her lawyers had also called for her death sentence to be commuted.
Christa Pike’s lawyers seek an end to isolation
The latest legal application concerns her conditions inside prison.
According to the report, her legal team says she has remained isolated in the infirmary since her hospital discharge.
Their emergency motion seeks an order ending that isolation and restoring protections under an existing agreement. The request allows for her medical needs and safety.
Her lawyers argue that each additional day spent isolated causes further harm. They have also expressed hope that a cooperative resolution can be reached.
The court has set deadlines for both sides to make their arguments.
Defendants have until November 4 to respond to the emergency motion, according to the report. Pike’s legal team then has until November 6 to reply.
Read more: Tennessee governor suspects Christa Pike’s sentence will stay the same following failed execution
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