Lethal injection survivor Christa Pike returns to prison

· Politics · United States

Death row inmate Christa Pike was released from a US hospital and sent back to prison, where she will continue receiving medical care after her botched execution attempt in Tennessee, her attorneys said. Pike, 50, was given two doses of the drug pentobarbital on Sept. 30 — a usually fatal dose that nevertheless failed to kill her. She was transported to the hospital in critical condition and is said to be walking around but in a 'foggy' mental state. The case has renewed scrutiny of lethal injection protocols in the United States.

Why it matters：A failed execution raises legal and ethical questions about capital punishment protocols and could spur challenges to lethal injection.

Key points

  • Pike survived two doses of pentobarbital on Sept. 30.
  • Her attorneys said she will continue receiving medical care in prison.
  • She is said to be walking but in a 'foggy' mental state.

Sources (original reporting)

More stories from this day