Christa Pike, who survived two doses of a lethal injection drug last week during a botched execution in Tennessee, is conscious and speaking, her lawyers said in a statement on Tuesday.
Ms. Pike continues to receive critical medical care at a Nashville hospital, the lawyers said. The prognosis remains unclear, they said, but they expect a long recovery.
“Christa is a survivor and will take recovery one day at a time,” the lawyers said.
Ms. Pike, 50, is believed to be the first person to have survived doses of a lethal injection drug. She has been hospitalized since the execution attempt on Sept. 30, after it became clear to witnesses that she was still breathing after two doses of pentobarbital, the drug used in lethal injection executions.
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Keep in mind that it’s not only that though. Yes, death row cases get a good deal more automatic appeals just to verify guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. But also consider that when the punishment is death, the government doesn’t want an inmate doing that on their own terms. They get extra security and a bunch of other extra precautions so they’ll only die on the government’s terms to fulfill their sentence. Regular inmates should absolutely have better legal protections though.