KNOXVILLE, TN– Christa Gail Pike woke up yesterday in a Nashville hospital after a failed execution attempt by the State of Tennessee on Sept. 30. She was completely disoriented and is still experiencing a lot of cognitive confusion, said her attorneys.
Pike’s attorneys filed an emergency motion on Oct. 2, asking a Davidson County Judge to order the Tennessee Department of Corrections to preserve all evidence tied to her execution attempt.
Chancellor l’Ashea Myles ruled in favor of Pike Wednesday afternoon.
In a press conference after the hearing, Pike’s attorneys announced that she was thought to be brain dead, just hours before she woke up.
“She is very aware that the state tried to execute… she is very aware up to a point,” said one of her attorneys Randy Spivey.
It is not yet known if the State will pursue a second execution attempt, but Gov. Bill Lee ordered a pause of executions for the rest of the year, along with a third-party investigation.
