Christa Pike's execution failed - taken to hospital

After two fatal doses of the drug pentobarbital, Christa Pike should no longer be alive, yet she is. Her condition is critical and she is being treated at a hospital, according to the woman's lawyers, Randall Spivey and Stephen Ferrell.

- I am tormented by last night, Spivey told reporters barely a day after the failed execution attempt that he witnessed.

He says he counted seven needles in Pike's left arm alone. One of them "appeared bent when it was pulled from the arm after a failed attempt". The right arm turned purple and Pike complained of the pain.

Medical condition

Spivey and Ferrell had previously informed state courts and authorities that Pike suffers from a condition with elevated levels of blood platelets. The condition can cause problems with, among other things, blood clotting at the injection sites. Medical personnel also reportedly had difficulty taking a blood sample from Pike, and according to the lawyers, it is even more difficult to set up an infarct than to take a blood sample.

They are now calling on Tennessee Governor Bill Lee to spare her life.

- Christa has endured a punishment that is harsher than anyone else has experienced in the history of the American death penalty. The governor must now commute Christa Pike's sentence, says Randall Spivey according to the AP.

Bill Lee has ordered an independent investigation into Pike's case, halting the only remaining scheduled execution in the state for this year.

Conspicuous murder

Christa Pike, now 50, was 18 when she and her then-boyfriend killed a classmate in 1995. The case attracted a lot of attention in the United States because of the brutality, age of those involved and occult details. Among other things, a pentagram was carved into the murdered woman's chest and Pike later bragged to another student that she kept a piece of the victim's skull "as a souvenir".

Pike has not denied her guilt, but her lawyers say the death penalty was not appropriate in this case. Christa Pike has stated that her upbringing was marked by brutal sexual abuse and mental illness.