Christa Pike Says She Woke Confused and in Pain After Failed Execution
Pike, who survived a lethal injection attempt in September, has made her first public statement since then, and a former Knoxville police chief has recalled her demeanor while describing the 1995 murder of Colleen Slemmer.
Christa Pike, who survived an execution attempt by lethal injection in September, has made her first public statement since then, saying she woke up "confused and in pain," according to a BBC News report.
In a new statement, Pike says she is "recovering" after surviving the failed execution, ABC News reported in a separate account.
Fox News reported that a former Knoxville police chief recalled Pike as ruthless and said she was "almost giddy" while describing the 1995 murder of Colleen Slemmer. The Fox News report carries the former chief's account of the case.
Fox News also reported that a governor has weighed in following the botched execution. The summary of that report does not identify the governor or describe what the governor said.
The accounts differ in how they characterize the procedure. ABC News and Fox News describe it as botched, while BBC News reports that Pike survived an execution attempt in September. The summaries available do not describe the cause of the failure.
BBC News reported that the new statement is Pike's first public remarks since the September attempt. ABC News reported that she describes herself as recovering. Fox News's report concerns the former police chief's recollections of the 1995 crime rather than Pike's condition.
Sources: Fox News: Ex-chief says Christa Pike was 'almost giddy' describing murder as governor weighs in after botched execution; BBC News: US inmate Christa Pike says she woke up 'confused and in pain' after failed execution; ABC News: Christa Pike says she is 'recovering' after botched execution in new statement.