Christa Pike walking after failed US execution, lawyer says

Christa Pike, a 50-year-old death row inmate in the United States who unexpectedly survived two lethal injection doses on September 30, has started taking steps inside her hospital room as her condition improves. Lawyer Stephen Ferrell shared these details during an interview on BBC Radio 4's Today programme late on Wednesday, noting that while he had not spoken directly with Pike, he learned her arms remained swollen and had limited function as she moved around.

Ferrell explained that Pike continues to experience lingering effects from the pentobarbital drug administered by prison staff during her scheduled execution. After failing to succumb to the drugs, she was rushed to a hospital where she was initially unconscious and in critical condition. By late Wednesday, however, her status was described as fairly well. Her legal team emphasized that she urgently requires psychological support to cope with the anger and confusion resulting from the ordeal.

This unprecedented failed execution places Pike's case in completely uncharted territory, as she is believed to be the only person to survive such an attempt by lethal injection. A court has ordered state officials to preserve all related evidence, which could establish groundwork for a potential future lawsuit against the state.

"She is up and walking for the first time today, but just around the room, not very far."

Stephen Ferrell, Lawyer

Pike and her then-boyfriend Tadaryl Shipp were 18 and 17 years old respectively when they beat, tortured, and murdered 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer after meeting at a job training scheme for low-income youths. Shipp avoided the death penalty due to his age at the time of the crime and remains imprisoned. Slemmer's mother strongly criticized the botched execution process as a complete mess.