American survivor of botched execution: I suffer physical and psychological pain

American Krista Pike, convicted of murder and who survived a botched lethal injection execution attempt about a month ago, is suffering from continuous pain, according to a statement issued by her lawyers on Friday.

The statement quoted Pike as saying, “Not a single moment has passed since that night without me feeling pain.”

She added, “My body hurts. My arms hurt. My hands hurt. My throat hurts,” further noting, “I still have difficulty speaking, and the pain is not only physical; there is also pain in my mind and in my soul.”

Pike, 50, was administered two doses of pentobarbital at a Tennessee state prison on September 30. This amount is typically lethal, but it did not cause her death.

She was transported to the hospital in critical condition and was returned to prison after receiving medical treatment.

According to the Death Penalty Information Center, Pike is the only inmate to have survived death after being injected with lethal doses intended for execution.

Pike was sentenced to death in Tennessee after she and her boyfriend beat and killed 19-year-old Colleen Slimer at a vocational training camp.

In her statement, Pike said she is in the recovery phase, but added, “Recovery does not mean everything is okay.”

She said, “I do not know why I survived that night,” adding, “I do not know what will happen next. Some days are harder than others to find hope. At the moment, I am trying to recover day by day.”

When asked by journalists this week about Pike’s fate, a spokesperson said, “I believe her sentence will remain as it was, unless the courts decide otherwise.”

The death penalty has been abolished in 23 U.S. states, while three other states—California, Oregon, and Pennsylvania—have suspended its execution.