Christa Pike is conscious and still shackled to hospital bed after botched execution, says lawyer

Convicted murderer Christa Pike is conscious and speaking while shackled to a hospital bed after her botched execution, according to her lawyers. 

Pike, 50, had to be hooked up to a ventilator after the state of Tennessee failed to kill her through lethal injection on September 30. 

But nearly a week later, the killer's attorneys said that she is reportedly 'conscious, speaking, and continues to receive critical medical care.'

'Despite the severe damage she endured to her arms, she is still handcuffed and shackled to the bed. Her recovery is medically unprecedented. Her prognosis remains unclear but, at a minimum, we expect a long recovery.' 

Pike was injected by at least seven needles as medical staff attempted to give her two lethal doses of pentobarbital that left her arms 'swollen, burned, and blistered,' her attorneys previously revealed. 

Her lawyers said they are grateful for the medical staff working on Pike, stating that they have 'treated Christa like a human and have provided exceptional care to her.' 

This is the first update that Pike's status has improved since being rushed to a hospital from Debra K. Johnson Rehabilitation Center in Nashville last week. 

On Friday, her attorneys said that doctors were working to remove the pentobarbital from her body. 

Convicted murderer Christa Pike is awake and speaking in the hospital after her botched execution, according to her lawyers

Pike is currently at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center (pictured) receiving critical care, her attorneys said

She continues to receive care at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center.  

Her health update comes just days after the Tennessee Department of Correction Commissioner Frank Strada resigned. 

The former prison chief oversaw Pike's attempted execution and will step down from his role later this month, Governor Bill Lee announced on Saturday. An interim will be appointed later. 

According to a motion filed after the botched execution, 'At one point, Ms Pike herself offered guidance on where the IV team could attempt access; one needle was bent at a 90-degree angle when it was removed.' 

Her lawyers stated she was administered two sets of syringes of the lethal drug and could be heard crying, whimpering, and breathing loudly throughout the process.

During the procedure, she said: 'My arm feels like it's about to burst open,' and at another point, asked: 'Does this happen like that?'

Strada said it was a 'great honor' to serve in his position and that he still 'believes the Department carried out its responsibilities in accordance with the established protocol.'

'Even so, stepping aside is in the best interest of Tennesseans as the independent review moves forward,' he said.

'I believe this review is entirely appropriate and necessary, and I look forward to doing everything I can to help determine exactly what occurred.'

Pike has been on death row for 30 years after she was convicted of the 1995 murder of her Knoxville Jobs Corp classmate Colleen Slemmer (pictured)

The governor said Strada 'served with integrity' and that he 'appreciated his willingness to put the interests of Tennesseans first during this difficult moment.'

But Pike's team has continued to argue that the department failed the inmate who has been on death row for 30 years after she was convicted of the 1995 murder of her Knoxville Jobs Corp classmate Colleen Slemmer. 

Pike's attorneys said they believed problems with the IV lines caused the pentobarbital to flow into her body instead of her bloodstream.

'Apparently at no point did any member of the execution team realize that the IV lines were not correctly placed or that the veins had blown and that the pentobarbital was, in whole or in part, entering Ms Pike's body,' the lawyers wrote in the court filing.

Instead of 'remedying this failure,' they prepared and administered a backup set of pentobarbital syringes, they wrote. 

Her lawyers are seeking to have all of the evidence from her botched execution preserved so they can ensure accountability and protect her legal rights.

Her health update comes just days after the Tennessee Department of Correction Commissioner Frank Strada resigned

Pike's then-boyfriend, Tadaryl Shipp (left),  and an accomplice, Shadolla Peterson (right), also helped lure Slemmer to a wooded area before the couple tortured her to death

'We are working closely with those closest to Christa to respect her wishes, safeguard her privacy and protect her rights as a patient during this extraordinarily difficult time,' said Luke Ihnen, attorney for Pike with Federal Defender Services of Eastern Tennessee.

'We ask that the public and the media respect that privacy as well.'

Just hours before Pike was rushed out of prison, her execution was dramatically halted after the US Court of Appeals issued a stay of execution order. 

That came after a judge agreed to consider whether childhood sexual abuse she suffered was taken into account when she was first sentenced.

Later that evening, her execution moved forward and failed. 

Pike's boyfriend at the time of Slemmer's murder, Tadaryl Shipp, helped lure the victim to a wooded area before the couple tortured her to death.

Pike also took a piece of Slemmer's skull (pictured in court during her murder trial) as a souvenir, according to investigators

An accomplice, Shadolla Peterson, was on lookout as the pair carved a pentagram into the teen's chest, police evidence showed. 

Pike also took a piece of her skull as a souvenir, according to investigators.

Slemmer attempted to run for her life, but the couple captured her again and continued the gruesome torture that lasted about 30 minutes to an hour, Pike estimated.

Pike and Shipp were both found guilty of first-degree murder. She was sentenced to death, and he received a life sentence with the possibility of parole.