US3 min(s) read
Law professor reveals extraordinary legal twist that could happen next to Christa Pike after failed execution
A law professor has revealed there could be another extraordinary twist on the way in the case of Christa Pike, after the convicted murderer survived her lethal injection.
Pike was scheduled to become the first woman executed in the state of Tennessee for over 200 years but, in an unexpected twist of fate, survived two lethal injections.
The case has now lit up social media in the wake of Pike's survival. She still remains in a critical condition in hospital.
But according to one legal professional, any other attempts at an execution could cause quite the issue.
Law professor says second attempt at execution could cause "legal issue"
Professor of Law Jules Epstein has said there could be a constitutional argument raised by Pike's legal team to challenge a second execution attempt.
Talking to the YouTuber Brian Entin, Pike could argue that "it is a violation of due process, a violation of the Eighth Amendement to try and execute me a second time after a first attempt failed."
He said that, following the botched execution, Pike's attorneys have several avenues open to them to pursue right now, including re-opening her previous appeals and challenging any attempts at a second execution after the first one failed.
If Pike, who is still in critical condition in the hospital, has suffered brain damage as a result of the botched execution, they could argue in court that she is no longer "legally competent" to undergo execution.
A third option, Epstein says, would be to petition the governor of Tennessee directly to commute her sentence to life imprisonment.
What are the latest updates on Christa Pike's execution?
As of the time of writing, Christa Pike remains in a critical condition in hospital after her botched execution.
Pike was originally sentenced to death after she murdered her Job Corps classmate Colleen Slemmer in 1995. Pike and two friends lead Slemmer into the woods and tortured her, before Pike killed her by dropping an asphalt block on her head.
In 1996, Pike - who said she murdered Slemmer after concerns she was going to steal her boyfriend - was sentenced to death at the age of 20, becoming one of the youngest women to receive a death sentence in the United States.
Pike's lawyer, Randy Spivey, said his client was receiving "life-saving medical care" after the execution team allegedly went through at least seven needles while trying to find a vein in Pike's arm to administer the lethal injection.
The convicted killer survived two doses of pentobarbital. Her legal team has called the botched execution "chemical torture," while representatives for the United Nations and Amnesty USA deemed the attempt "cruel".