Christa Pike's Attorney Calls for Death Penalty to Be 'Taken Off the Table' After Botched Execution Attempt
Christa Pike’s lawyer wants Tennessee to respond to her botched execution by agreeing not to try to execute her again.
“The least that could happen now is that we at least take death off the table and start looking for what the future could be for her,” attorney Steve Ferrell, of the Federal Defender Services of Eastern Tennessee, said, according to CBS News.
Pike was supposed to be executed Wednesday after being convicted of a 1995 murder, but despite being given the lethal injection drug pentobarbital, did not die.
Although precedent suggests inmates whose executions are botched are later executed, Ferrell is trying to make this an exception.
Ferrell said Pike’s attorneys are “certainly willing to discuss that with the governor, with whoever could make that decision.”
Ferrell said Pike remained on a ventilator Monday in critical condition as hospital staff tries to cleanse her system of the drug intended to kill her.
“It may still be a long time before she’s able to participate in the legal process,” said Ferrell.
“We don’t really know the prognosis yet and may not know for several days,” he said Sunday, according to People.
He said he has not seen Pike since she was taken to a hospital after the botched execution.
“It remains to be seen what the future is,” Ferrell said.
“I think one of the main things that will leave this up in the air for a while is the fact that we don’t know what the prognosis is — as in, the long-term prognosis. If she recovers — she may not fully recover,” he said.
“And there may be issues about her competence. We just don’t know any of this,” he said.
Tennessee officials have not commented about what the future might hold. Frank Strada, the state’s correction commissioner, will resign later this month, according to CNN.
Pike’s execution was the second in Tennessee that went wrong on Strada’s watch. CNN reported that three executions during Strada’s prior time overseeing Arizona’s prisons “raised concerns.”
Outgoing Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has halted executions in the state for now, but Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn said if elected, she would seek to execute Pike, according to The New York Times.
This situation is tragic. Christa Pike should have been executed long ago. Now, this botched process is extending the pain for the family of Colleen Slemmer. While there should be a thorough review of what happened and why the process failed, the answer is simple: bring back the electric chair and deliver justice for these victims swiftly. As your governor, I will do just that.https://t.co/7Cqj5UdlrI
— Marsha Blackburn (@VoteMarsha) October 1, 2026
Blackburn also called for reforming Tennessee’s execution protocol.
“While there should be a thorough review of what happened and why the process failed, the answer is simple: bring back the electric chair and deliver justice for these victims swiftly,” she posted on X. “As your governor, I will do just that.”
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