Christa Pike returns to prison after being discharged from hospital following failed execution

Christa Pike, whose botched execution in Tennessee shocked the public last week, returned to prison after being discharged from the hospital, her lawyers reported Saturday. The attorneys have developed a multi-pronged strategy to ensure that the death sentence is not carried out again against their client following the failed attempt.

Pike, 50, received two lethal doses of pentobarbital on Sept. 30 that failed to kill her. She was transferred to a hospital in critical condition but later regained consciousness, just as doctors were debating whether to remove her from life support. This week, her attorneys noted that she was able to walk, although she was in a "confused" mental state.

"Christa Pike was discharged from a local hospital and is now at the Deborah K. Johnson Rehabilitation Center, where she has been incarcerated for more than 30 years," her attorneys said in a statement.

Tennessee has suspended executions while the incident is under investigation

Pike was sentenced to death in Tennessee for the 1995 murder of a 19-year-old classmate, a crime she committed as a teenager. "She is grateful to the emergency response teams and medical staff for the care provided under these extraordinary circumstances," the statement added.

Pike was set to be the first woman executed in Tennessee in more than 200 years.

Gov. Bill Lee ordered a suspension of executions in his state, which were set to resume in 2025, while an independent investigation into this case is conducted.