Christa Pike’s Attorney Reveals Her First Words After She Woke Up from Botched Execution
Christa Pike’s attorney, Randy Spivey, shared what his client’s her first words were after she woke up following a failed execution
She remains hospitalized after developing a blood clot and pneumonia following the lethal injection
Tennessee Assistant Attorney General John Ayers declined to say whether the state would seek to execute Pike again
Christa Pike‘s attorney, Randy Spivey, revealed the first words his client spoke after waking up from her botched execution.
During a news conference outside a Tennessee courthouse on Wednesday, Oct. 7, Spivey recounted what Pike said in the first moments she regained consciousness after lethal-injection drugs were administered during an execution on Wednesday, Sept. 30, and after she spent several days on a ventilator in the hospital.
Christa Pike at a hearing in Knoxville, Tenn., on Aug. 11, 2026.Credit: USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
“I was not in the room when she woke up, so I don’t want to speculate too much. Our understanding was the first thing she said was, ‘Where am I and who are you?’ ” Spivy said, per a CNN clip. “There’s still a lot of cognitive confusion and so I will say that.”
He went on to say that Pike has been seeking information about what happened while also asking about the people who were involved in her case.
“She has wanted to know what’s happened and she’s asked about several people. She’s asked about her team. She’s asked about the victim’s family. I think she is angry and confused about everything,” he said.
Pike’s attorneys Randy Spivey and Luke Ihnen seen during a press conference on Oct. 7.Credit: USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
According to Spivy, on Monday, Oct. 5, Pike was believed to be “brain dead,” with doctors planning to remove her “life support” the next day. However, “to the shock of everyone, Christa woke up and began talking” on Tuesday, Oct. 6.
He added that he does not “have an explanation for what happened between Monday night and Tuesday morning,” noting that Pike “has a long road to recovery” after developing a blood clot in her arm and contracting pneumonia.
Pike has been on death row since 1996 for the murder of Colleen Slemmer. On Sept. 30, she was administered two rounds of the lethal-injection drug pentobarbital at the Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville but survived. Her lawyers say she is the only known person in U.S. history to survive after lethal-injection drugs were administered during an execution.
After spending several days on a ventilator in the hospital, Pike was “conscious” and “speaking” as of Oct. 6, according to her lawyers.
Chancellor I’Ashea L. Myles presides over a hearing requesting the Tennessee Department of Corrections.Credit: George Walker IV, Pool/AP
Following the botched executions of Pike and Tony Carruthers this year, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has suspended executions for the remainder of 2026 while the state conducts a third-party review of its execution procedures.
During a court hearing Wednesday, Tennessee Assistant Attorney General John Ayers declined to say whether the state would seek to execute Pike again. She remains in the custody of the Tennessee Department of Correction and is shackled to her hospital bed, according to her lawyers.
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Joel Zivot, an anesthesiologist at Emory University, was asked about Pike’s recovery but said it was too early to offer a prognosis.
“I think it’s still early. Critically ill patients tend to move in a variety of ways,” Zivot told PEOPLE. “The fact that she is doing something now puts her in good position, but I wouldn’t suggest it’s smooth sailing from here and there won’t be any residual impact.”
Source: Crime