Christa Pike remains critically ill on a ventilator as her attorneys seek evidence after Tennessee’s failed execution attempt.

Published on: Oct 3, 2026, 02:19:02 IST

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Christa Pike is unconscious, intubated and on a ventilator after Tennessee’s failed attempt to execute her on Wednesday, her attorneys said Friday. Pike remains critically ill in a hospital and is being treated for the effects of the pentobarbital given during the execution attempt, including significant injuries to both arms.

Her attorneys have now filed an emergency motion in Davidson County Chancery Court asking the Tennessee Department of Correction to preserve evidence from what happened inside the execution chamber. They said the evidence is needed to understand the failed execution and protect Pike’s legal rights.

Christa Pike remains unconscious and on ventilator

According to a statement from Pike’s attorneys, hospital staff are treating her for the effects of the pentobarbital used during the execution attempt. She remains unconscious, intubated and is receiving help breathing through a ventilator.

The lawyers said Pike has suffered significant injuries to both arms. They also said they are working with people close to her to respect her wishes and protect her privacy while she receives medical care.

"We are working closely with those closest to Christa to respect her wishes, safeguard her privacy and protect her rights as a patient during this extraordinarily difficult time." said Luke Ihnen, attorney for Christa with Federal Defender Services of Eastern Tennessee. "We ask that the public and the media respect that privacy as well."

Christa Pike attorneys seek evidence from failed execution

Pike’s attorneys filed the emergency motion in Davidson County Chancery Court on Friday. They are asking the Tennessee Department of Correction to protect and preserve evidence connected to Wednesday night’s execution attempt.

In the filing, her lawyers said they believe problems with the IV lines caused pentobarbital to enter tissue instead of going properly into her bloodstream.

“Apparently at no point did any member of the execution team realize that the IV lines were not correctly placed or that the veins had blown and that the pentobarbital was, in whole or in part, entering Ms. Pike’s body,” they wrote.

The attorneys said the execution team then prepared and gave a backup dose instead of correcting the IV problem. The Associated Press reported that the execution team spent about an hour trying to administer the drugs, while Pike remained alive and continued snoring.

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee orders execution review

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has ordered an independent review of the failed execution and halted further executions in the state for the rest of 2026. The state has not publicly explained what went wrong during Pike’s execution attempt.

The Tennessee Department of Correction said it followed every step of the state’s established execution protocol and that the lethal injection drug used had consistently been effective.

Pike, 50, was sentenced to death for the 1995 murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer. She was scheduled to become the first woman executed in Tennessee in more than 200 years.

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