Krista Pike [Reuters/Yonhap]
Krista Pike [Reuters/Yonhap]

A 50-year-old woman on death row in the United States who survived two doses of lethal injection drugs has regained consciousness a week after the failed execution.

Krista Pike, 50, was transferred to a hospital after surviving a lethal injection at a Nashville, Tennessee prison on Sept. 30. She regained consciousness and was able to speak Tuesday, her attorneys said in a statement, according to AP and other outlets.

Pike's legal team said she is currently receiving treatment as a critically ill patient and, despite serious injuries to both arms, remains shackled to her bed with handcuffs and leg irons.

Her attorneys described her recovery as "medically unprecedented," adding that while her prognosis remains uncertain, "we expect her recovery to be lengthy at a minimum." They also expressed gratitude to the paramedics and hospital staff, saying, "We thank them for treating Krista as a human being and providing excellent care."

Pike was sentenced to death for the 1995 murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer, which she committed alongside her boyfriend when she was 18.

She had been incarcerated for more than 30 years before being scheduled for execution.

The lethal drug used in her execution, pentobarbital, was officially adopted as the federal execution drug during Donald Trump's first administration.

The Joe Biden administration subsequently imposed a blanket moratorium on federal executions. Just before Trump returned to office for his second term, Biden's administration in January 2025 abolished the use of pentobarbital in executions, citing concerns that the drug could cause unnecessary pain and suffering to inmates.

The Trump administration then re-authorized the use of the drug in federal executions in April.

State corrections chief to resign

Amid growing calls for accountability over the botched execution, the head of the state corrections agency overseeing the procedure has decided to step down.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee announced that state Corrections Commissioner Frank Strada would leave his post at the end of this month, The New York Times and The Washington Post reported Saturday.

Lee also said he would halt all remaining executions in Tennessee for the rest of this year and launch an independent investigation into the incident.

Two failed executions in Tennessee this year alone had already fueled calls for Strada to be held accountable.

Earlier this year, another execution attempt in the state failed after medical staff were unable to properly insert an intravenous line.

Strada maintained that the corrections department had followed established procedures, but said stepping down while an independent investigation proceeds was in the best interest of Tennessee residents.

Pike's attorneys said of Strada's resignation that it was "warranted, but does nothing for Krista right now," adding, "What happened to her reflects a systemic failure that goes far beyond any one individual."


yul@heraldcorp.com