Christa Pike’s execution team allegedly used around 10 needles during Tennessee’s failed attempt to put her to death.
The allegation appears in an October 22 court filing by her lawyer, Randy Spivey, obtained by the Associated Press.
Pike, who is 50, was taken to hospital in critical condition following the failed execution on September 30. She was placed on a ventilator after surviving the attempt to carry out her death sentence.
People reports that she has since returned to prison, where she is speaking in full sentences.
Christa Pike execution allegations detailed in court filing
Spivey’s account describes the team’s difficulties establishing intravenous lines in Pike’s arms before the lethal injection drug was administered.
He alleged that the team feared her veins had “blown” as they tried to carry out the execution.
Her lawyer said Pike had feared officials would struggle to find her veins before the execution procedure even began.
The filing says two doses of pentobarbital were administered after the attempts to establish the intravenous lines.
However, according to Spivey, Pike continued breathing after receiving the drug and made sounds resembling choking.
Christa Pike’s death sentence and Tennessee execution pause
Pike was sentenced to death after being convicted of murdering Colleen Slemmer, a classmate who was 19 years old. Slemmer’s murder took place in 1995.
At the time of the attempt, Pike would have become the 19th woman executed in the US since 1976.
Tennessee governor Bill Lee has since stopped executions in the state for the remainder of 2026.
Lee said he had ordered a “comprehensive, third-party review to determine exactly what occurred”.
Robin Maher, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center, previously discussed the case with The New York Times.
“This event is the worst we’ve seen and unlike any other botched execution in the modern era,” she said.
“There is no precedent.”
Christa Pike’s recovery after hospital treatment
Pike regained consciousness in early October, before she began speaking and taking steps with help during her recovery.
She is now walking more independently following her return to prison, although her long-term prognosis remains unclear.
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