Christa Pike is unconscious and on a ventilator following her failed execution, according to her lawyers

Image source, Tennessee Department of CorrectionsAuthor, Sareen HabeshianRole, BBC NewsAuthor, Ione WellsReporting from, Reporting from NashvillePublication date 21 minutes agoReading time: 2 min Christa Pike, the woman whose execution by lethal injection failed in the state of Tennessee, was unconscious, intubated and connected to a ventilator on Thursday night, according to her lawyers in documents filed with the court. The 50-year-old woman received two lethal doses of pentobarbital on Wednesday night, but survived for reasons that remain unknown. She was subsequently taken to hospital by ambulance. She has since remained in critical condition at a hospital in the capital, Nashville. Pike's lawyers, who was sentenced to death in 1996 for the murder of a 19-year-old woman, Colleen Slemmer, are seeking to have her sentence commuted following the failed execution attempt. The defense filed an emergency motion on Friday to preserve "each and every piece of evidence" related to Pike's failed execution. Hospital staff are treating her to preserve her life and remove the pentobarbital from her body, according to the filed documentation. Failed execution According to her lawyers, during the execution process on Wednesday, prison officials attempted to insert an intravenous (IV) line into Pike using at least seven needles. At one point, Pike herself offered them guidance on where they could try. Skip Most read and continue readingMost readEnd of Most read "One of the needles was bent at a 90-degree angle when it was removed," the documentation reads. While receiving the two doses, "she could be heard crying, whimpering and struggling to breathe throughout the procedure," her lawyers said. "At one point, Ms. Pike said: 'I feel like my arm is about to burst,' and at another she asked: 'Is this supposed to happen like this?'" Video title, Witnesses describe the attempts to execute Christa Pike. The woman's lawyers had previously warned that her conditions, which include thrombocytosis, post-traumatic stress disorder and small veins, posed the risk that she would experience "unnecessary" pain and suffering during a lethal injection. In the latest documents filed, her lawyers allege that "at no point did any member of the execution team realize that the intravenous lines were not properly placed or that the veins had burst and that the pentobarbital was, totally or partially, entering Ms. Pike's body." They therefore request that all relevant physical, written and electronic evidence be preserved. This article was originally written in English and we used an artificial intelligence tool to translate it. A BBC journalist reviewed the text before publication. More information about how we use AI. Download the new BBC World Service app. Choose BBC News Mundo and receive news alerts, documentaries and analysis, all in one place. Important: the new app is not available in the UK or the United States. You can also follow us on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, X and on our WhatsApp channel. And don't forget to subscribe here to our newsletter to receive a special selection of our best content every Friday. Discover moreSkip Video and continueVideoEnd of Video