Christa Pike is conscious and speaking after botched Tennessee execution, attorneys say

Updated on: October 6, 2026 / 6:08 PM EDT / CBS News

Christa Pike, a death row inmate who was subject to a failed execution attempt in Tennessee last week, is conscious and speaking from her hospital bed, her attorneys said Tuesday.

Pike survived the state's Sept. 30 attempt to execute her by lethal injection at the Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville. She has been hospitalized since.

In a statement Tuesday, her attorneys said that she was "conscious, speaking, and continues to receive critical medical care," but noted that "her prognosis remains unclear" and "at a minimum" they "expect a long recovery."

They also said that "despite the severe damage she endured to her arms, she is still handcuffed and shackled to the bed."

Pike was given two lethal doses of pentobarbital, but according to media witnesses, the execution was canceled when it was determined she had not lost consciousness and still had a heartbeat. One media witness noted that she could be heard loudly snoring about one hour after the procedure had started. She was then taken by ambulance to an area hospital.

One of her attorneys, Steve Ferrell, told "CBS Mornings" on Monday that doctors were working…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/entertainment/