US murderer Christa Pike remains critically ill in hospital with an unclear prognosis following her failed execution, her lawyer said on Sunday. Stephen Ferrell told CNN that doctors are still trying to clear two doses of pentobarbital from her body.
Pike, 50, was sentenced to death in 1996 for the murder of Colleen Slemmer in 1995. She survived two execution attempts on Wednesday and was subsequently transferred to a hospital in Nashville, Tennessee.
Mr Ferrell stated that Pike is on a ventilator and critically ill, adding that her prognosis may not be known for several days. He believes she has not regained consciousness. He also called on the governor to commute her death sentence to a life sentence.
Authorities have not explained what went wrong during the execution attempts. However, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has suspended all executions for the remainder of the year, and the head of prisons in the state resigned on Saturday.