The attempted execution of Pike was not the first in Tennessee in 2026 that did not go to plan. The execution of Tony Carruthers, who was convicted of kidnapping and murdering three people in 1994, was postponed in May after staff were unable to find a vein for a lethal injection.
Christa Pike released her first public statement since surviving a botched execution attempt in September, stating that she woke up confused and in pain following the procedure.
Pike, 50, was discharged from hospital at the end of last month after surviving two lethal injections of the drug pentobarbital, which left her in a critical condition. Her case marks the first time a woman was scheduled to be executed in the state of Tennessee in over 200 years.
"There hasn't been a moment since that night when I haven't been in pain,"she said, speaking to a local ABC News affiliate in Florida, where she lives. She added:"What happened to Christa is not an isolated tragedy, nor should this conversation begin and end with her.". Lee was asked by reporters this week about a potential second execution attempt. In her statement, Pike said she thinks the state owes her an apology.