Christa Pike Returns to Prison After Hospital Discharge

Christa Pike has been discharged from hospital and returned to the Tennessee women’s prison where she is serving her sentence, her attorneys said October 10. She continues to receive medical care at the prison, according to their statement. Pike had been hospitalized since surviving the state’s September 30 lethal-injection attempt. The execution attempt involved two doses of pentobarbital and did not kill Pike, 50. She was taken to hospital afterward. Her attorneys said she had been on a ventilator and that they had not expected her to survive. They later reported that she woke, spoke and walked with assistance. Those recovery details were provided by her legal team. Pike has returned to the Debra K. Johnson Rehabilitation Center, the Tennessee women’s prison where she had been housed for about 30 years, her attorneys said. They said she was grateful to first responders and medical staff and that they would continue to monitor her recovery. The statement did not provide further details about her condition. The Death Penalty Information Center says Pike is the first person known to have survived after receiving lethal-injection drugs during an execution.