Christa Pike survived after receiving two doses of drugs during her execution in Tennessee. Pike’s condition has improved while she continues treatment at a hospital.
Pike has begun walking with assistance and has been able to eat for the first time.
Lawyers call on Bill Lee
Pike’s lawyers described her physical recovery as extraordinary but said important questions remain about the long-term effects of the incident.
The lawyers said Pike faced deep psychological trauma after the failed execution attempt. They said she experienced the horror, pain and uncertainty of believing that she was going to die.

The lawyers asked Tennessee Governor Bill Lee to commute Pike’s death sentence to life imprisonment. They said Pike should not be subjected to another execution attempt.
Investigation after the execution attempt
Pike was convicted in 1995, at the age of 18, of killing her classmate Colleen Slemmer and was sentenced to death.
Two doses of drugs were administered to Pike on September 30 for the execution, but her heart did not stop. She was then transferred to a healthcare facility outside the prison.
Governor Lee ordered an investigation into the incident. Executions scheduled to take place in Tennessee for the remainder of the year were also suspended during the investigation.