Christa Pike recovering from botched execution attempt 'remarkably' quickly, lawyer says

Published: 08:33 EDT, 9 October 2026 | Updated: 08:42 EDT, 9 October 2026 Christa Pike is making a 'remarkable physical recovery' after she survived a botched execution, her lawyers say. Pike, 50, survived two doses of lethal injections on September 30 and was believed to be brain dead when she miraculously woke up on Tuesday.She was on Tennessee's death row for the 1995 beating and stabbing death of classmate Colleen Slemmer. 'We're not sure exactly of the long-term effects, but she's clearly cognitively not quite back to normal and may have a long way to go,' one of her attorneys, Stephen Ferrell with Federal Defender Services of Eastern Tennessee, told ABC News on Thursday.'There's a lot of psychological trauma that she's going through and still suffering through. But her physical state is improving remarkably.'Pike's arms were left burned and blistered after her lawyers said the doses of pentobarbital were injected into her arms and not her veins.For the first few days of her hospitalization, Pike was unconscious and on a ventilator, they said.Her first steps on Wednesday were 'limited,' and she required some assistance as she walked on Thursday. She is also regaining mobility in her arms, and she was able to eat for the first time. Christa Pike, 50, survived two doses of lethal injections on September 30 and was believed to be brain dead when she miraculously woke up on Tuesday She was on Tennessee's death row for the 1995 beating and stabbing death of classmate Colleen SlemmerBut the lawyers warned that uncertainty remains about her physical recovery and her legal standing after the attempt to carry out her death sentence.They initially described her as 'confused' soon after waking up, and said on Thursday that she continued to struggle with concentration and memory.It remains unclear if Tennessee will try to execute her again, and her lawyers have asked Governor Bill Lee to commute her sentence to life without parole.On Wednesday, a judge ordered the state to preserve all evidence from her failed execution.Judge I’Ashea Myles said: 'This case is unique to say the least.''Take special care not to lose, misplace, accidentally delete any information pertinent to this investigation.'This is a developing story