US4 min(s) read
'Leaked Christa Pike picture showing injuries and purple arm' after botched execution could explain why she survived
A leaked image reportedly showing Christa Pike's severely injured arm following her failed execution has emerged, amid claims that repeated attempts to establish an IV may help explain why she survived.
Pike remains unconscious in hospital after the state of Tennessee attempted to execute her last week, administering two doses of the lethal drug pentobarbital, with both proving to be unsuccessful.
The reportedly leaked picture of Pike's injured arm
According to RadarOnline, the alleged photograph was obtained from an insider within the Tennessee Department of Correction and reportedly shows Pike's arm covered in severe bruising, with an almost-purple appearance.
The outlet said the source claimed the image showed “trauma and internal bleeding from the elbow downward,” but RadarOnline has not published the photograph online, meaning that it hasn’t been independently verified.
The source who allegedly provided the picture claimed: “The needle blew her vein, causing the chemicals to go to the muscle,” with Pike’s lawyers alleging that problems establishing an intravenous line meant the drugs were delivered into surrounding tissue rather than directly into her bloodstream.
A professor of anesthesiology and pediatrics at Stanford University School of Medicine, Richard Levy, explained that pentobarbital is intended to stop breathing, depriving the body of oxygen before ultimately causing the heart to stop.
“However, pentobarbital may not always induce apnea – if dose is not high enough or injection is not successfully injected into a vein – and the inmate may not stop breathing. Without apnea, the injection will likely not result in death,” Levy told The Guardian.
As such, if the medication enters surrounding tissue rather than the bloodstream, it can take longer to be absorbed and may not reach a concentration capable of causing death.
Pike's lawyers have separately alleged that she arrived at hospital with her arms “swollen, burned, and blistered” following multiple unsuccessful attempts to insert an IV.
While discussing the failed execution, one of Pike’s lawyers, Randy Spivey, claimed the execution team spent around an hour attempting to establish an IV.
“The execution team attempted to establish an IV line for an hour,” he told the BBC. “I counted at least seven needles used in her left arm alone, one of which appeared to be bent when it was pulled from her arm after an unsuccessful attempt.”
A media witness also reported that Pike complained about the pain during the procedure, reportedly claiming: “My arm feels like it’s about to burst open.”
The alleged insider who provided the photograph also claimed that Pike experienced “stroke-like symptoms”, although it is unclear whether she has suffered permanent neurological damage.
Authorities under increased scrutiny following second failed execution
Pike's case is the second failed lethal injection attempt in Tennessee this year, with the failures intensifying scrutiny of Tennessee's execution procedures, leaving medical professionals raising ethical concerns over the involvement of healthcare workers in executions.
Forty doctors and nurses previously signed a letter to Governor Bill Lee calling for executions to be suspended and for healthcare workers not to be required to participate.
Pike's lawyers have argued that improperly positioned IV lines allowed the pentobarbital to enter tissue rather than her bloodstream, leaving both of her arms severely injured.
The failed execution has also resulted in a senior Tennessee corrections official stepping down from his position.
Frank Strada, who headed the Tennessee Department of Correction, resigned three days after Pike's execution attempt, with Governor Bill Lee saying Strada's departure was in the “best interest of Tennesseans”.
Lee has also ordered a comprehensive third-party review of the execution process and halted all scheduled executions in Tennessee for the remainder of the year.
“Carrying out a lawfully imposed sentence is among the State's most serious responsibilities,” he admitted.
Pike remains hospitalized following the failed execution, while her lawyers look to challenge another possible execution.