Christa Pike has remained unconscious and on a ventilator since the failed execution attempt in Tennessee, according to her lawyer. The incident took place on Wednesday night, and she has not been released from a hospital under guard for the past four days.
Doctors are working to remove the large dose of the barbiturate pentobarbital that was administered during the execution. The drug did not kill her, and the inmates’ attorneys report that her arms were burned and blistered from the caustic substances.
Assistant Federal Defender Stephen Ferrell told CNN’s “State of the Union” that he is unaware of any moment when Pike regained consciousness. He also said that someone has been given her medical power of attorney, but the identity of that person has not been disclosed.
Pike, 50, was 18 when she and her boyfriend murdered a classmate, Colleen Slemmer, in 1995. She became one of the youngest women on death row. Her defense team released a statement early Sunday expressing respect for her privacy.
