Christa Pike has released her first public statement since surviving a failed execution in Tennessee on September 30. She described the physical and emotional pain she has faced since the incident.
Christa Pike describes physical and emotional pain one month after failed Tennessee execution
In a statement shared with PEOPLE by her attorneys, Pike recalled entering the execution chamber prepared to die but waking up days later in a hospital.
Pike said, “One month ago on September 30, I walked into the execution chamber at Riverbend men’s prison prepared to die.” She added, “I had made my peace. I had told the people who loved me, supported me and stood by me through the years I was grateful for them.”
However, the execution was aborted after two doses of pentobarbital failed to kill her. Pike was hospitalized and remained in critical condition for several days.
“Several days later I woke up alone in a hospital confused and in pain,” she said. “There hasn’t been a moment since that night when I haven’t been in pain. My body hurts. My arms hurt.”
She continued, “I still struggle to speak. And the pain isn’t just physical. There is pain in my mind and in my soul.”
Pike said she was “deeply hurt by the incompetence” surrounding the failed execution. She also expressed concern for her victim’s family and “the terrible pain and loss they have endured.” Although she is gradually recovering, she said, “healing is not the same as being okay.”
Tennessee has paused executions while investigating the incident. It remains unclear whether Pike will face another execution attempt. She received a death sentence for the 1995 torture and murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer.
Pike also thanked the people who supported her, along with the first responders and hospital staff who treated her.
“I don’t know why I survived that night,” she said. “I don’t know what comes next. Some days, finding hope is harder than others. For now, I am trying to heal, one day at a time.”
