Pike discharged from hospital after failed execution

Christa Pike, who survived an attempt to execute her by lethal injection, has been moved back to prison, according to a statement released by her lawyers.

Pike, 50, was discharged from the hospital and is back at the Debra K Johnson Rehabilitation Centre, the women’s prison where she was housed for 30 years, her lawyers said.

"She is grateful to the first responders and her medical team for their care in these extraordinary circumstances. She is continuing to receive medical care at the prison, and we will continue to track her recovery," her lawyers said.

Pike survived two doses of pentobarbital as the state of Tennessee attempted to execute her by lethal injection on 30 September for the murder of classmate Colleen Slemmer in 1995.

Pike had been in a hospital since the failed execution.

At one point she was on a ventilator and her lawyers did not expect her to survive. However, they said Pike woke up and began talking and walking with assistance.

The Death Penalty Information Centre says Pike is the first person to survive after receiving lethal injection drugs during an execution.

The Tennessee Department of Correction has not said what went wrong in the execution.

Medical and lethal injection experts have focused on whether a problem with the IV line caused the drug to pool in her tissue instead of entering her bloodstream.

Pike's lawyers wrote in a court filing that "apparently at no point did any member of the execution team realise that the IV lines were not correctly placed".

The failed execution brought renewed scrutiny to how Tennessee carries out death sentences.

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has since postponed the state’s only other scheduled execution this year and ordered a review of what went wrong.

The state’s prison chief resigned in the wake of the failed execution.

As the process got under way, Pike was asked if she had a final statement and she spoke of being at peace.

About five minutes later, she raised her head and said her arm hurt.

Later, she appeared to lose consciousness but could be heard breathing heavily until media witnesses were escorted from the witness room nearly 90 minutes into the execution.

An ambulance later took her to a hospital.