Christa Pike discharged from hospital and returned to prison after botched execution
US death row inmate Christa Pike, who survived a lethal injection attempt on 30 September, has left hospital and been returned to prison, her lawyers said. She continues to receive medical care there.
Christa Pike, a 50-year-old US death row inmate convicted of murder, has been discharged from hospital after a failed attempt to execute her and returned to the prison where she has spent the past 30 years. Her lawyers announced this on Saturday. The case is highly unusual, as Pike is believed to be the only person to have survived an attempted execution by lethal injection.
What happened
The execution was carried out on 30 September. Pike was given two lethal injections of pentobarbital, but she survived and was left in a critical condition in hospital.
Earlier this week she regained consciousness and began speaking, which stunned experts, medical staff and her lawyers.
Current condition
Following her discharge, Pike is still receiving medical care in prison. In their statement, her lawyers said she was grateful to the first responders and her medical team for their care in these extraordinary circumstances.
Because no one is believed to have survived a lethal injection execution before, Pike's case is now in uncharted territory.
Background to the crime
Pike was 18 when she and her then-boyfriend, Tadaryl Shipp, beat, tortured and killed 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer. The pair had met Slemmer at a job training camp for low-income young people.
