What a former doctor says about Christa Pike being awake and talking after failed execution

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT/Gray News) - Christa Pike is alive, awake and talking after her botched execution, according to her legal team.

Paul Allen, a former doctor, said he was not surprised by the news.

“I wasn’t surprised at all,” Allen said.

Defense questions drug delivery

Pike’s defense team believes pentobarbital may not have been going directly into her vein during the attempted execution.

Allen said the drug probably could have still killed her the night of the scheduled execution if she did not receive medical care after. When Pike did not die in a certain time frame, doctors were called in to keep her alive.

The Tennessee Department of Correction said it followed all protocol.

“Had they just left her, I think she would have succumbed to the drug,” Allen said. “And then it was just a matter of time until the large dose of pentobarbital metabolized, came down and then she was able to respond and her breathing center worked normally.”

What’s next in the case

With Pike still alive, the focus shifts to what’s next in her case, including whether she can still be put to death.

Criminal defense attorney Josh Hedrick addressed the question.

“We have to assess what is her mental state? Under our law, you cannot execute someone who is not competent, right? While she may be awake, we don’t yet know what her mental state is. We don’t know if there’s brain damage. We don’t know how alert she is,” Hedrick said.

Pike’s failed execution is the second in Tennessee this year.

Hedrick said the future of the death penalty and executions in the state is now in question.

“So, twice in one year is a bad look. That’s unacceptable. So, to identify where things are going wrong and fix them is vital. If we’re going to have executions, we have to do them properly,” Hedrick said.

Pike’s legal team said it is calling on the governor to commute her sentence, meaning the team will ask for life in prison rather than the death penalty.