Survives Failed Lethal Injection, Christa Pike Now Has Pneumonia

Christa Pike’s lawyer, Randy Spivey, said his client has suffered several medical problems after a failed execution by lethal injection. He said Pike now has pneumonia.

BBC and CBS News reported on Thursday (8 October 2026) that Pike was sentenced to death for murdering Colleen Slemmer with her then-boyfriend in 1995. She survived two attempts to execute her by lethal injection in Tennessee on 30 September.

The Death Penalty Information Center said Pike is the only person known to have survived an execution attempt in the United States. Experts and her legal team have described her recovery as unprecedented in the country.

Spivey said Pike now has pneumonia and blood clots, has difficulty swallowing, and cannot move her arms or hands. She regained consciousness in a Tennessee hospital several days after surviving the execution attempt.

“Her hands look like surgical gloves being inflated. Her condition is extraordinary,” Spivey said.

Spivey said Pike had initially been diagnosed as brain-dead, and her medical team was preparing to withdraw life support on Monday. The following day, however, she regained consciousness and began speaking.

He said the development had astonished everyone. Pike’s first words were reportedly, “Where am I?” and “Who are you?”

“I have no explanation for what happened,” Spivey said after a hearing at Davidson County Chancery Court.

He said Pike was initially confused and disoriented, but began recalling details of the execution attempt on Wednesday (7 October). He said he did not know what would happen next.