Christa Pike returns to prison 10 days after failed lethal injection

Updated 17:07 10 Oct 2026 GMT+1Published 16:16 10 Oct 2026 GMT+1

The convicted murderer was hospitalised after surviving two rounds of the lethal injection

Christa Pike has been discharged from hospital, 10 days after her botched execution.

The update, shared by the 50-year-old's legal team, confirmed that Pike had returned to Tennessee's Deborah K. Johnson Rehabilitation Centre, the prison where she had been housed for the past 30 years, following two failed attempts to execute her via lethal injection.

"Christa Pike was discharged from a local hospital and is now at Debra K. Johnson Rehabilitation Centre, where she has been housed for more than 30 years," the statement, shared by Stephen Ferrell and Luke Ihnen from Federal Defender Services of Eastern Tennessee, and Randy Spivey and Kelly Gleason from the TN Office of the Post Conviction Defender, read.

The statement did not share any new details about Pike's current health, but added that she was 'grateful' for the care she had received from medical professionals.

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"She is grateful to the first responders and her medical team for their care in these extraordinary circumstances," the statement continued.

Christa Pike has now returned to prison after being discharged from hospital (TDOC)

"She is continuing to receive medical care at the prison, and we will continue to track her recovery."

Pike was hospitalised on 30 September, after the state of Tennessee gave her two doses of fatal doses of pentobarbital, both of which failed. She had been sentenced to death in 1996, after being found guilty of murdering Job Corps classmate Colleen Slemmer in 1995.

The convicted killer is now the only person known to have survived the lethal injection and the second inmate in US history to survive a fully-carried out execution.

Pike's discharge comes days after it was revealed that she had been able to walk and talk while in hospital.

"Her recovery is medically unprecedented," read a previous statement from her legal team. "Her prognosis remains unclear but, at a minimum, we expect a long recovery."

(LADbible/Tennessee Department of Correction/WBIR-TV)

"The turnaround in Christa Pike’s health in the last three days has been profound and a credit to the medical team caring for her. She woke up from unconsciousness Tuesday morning (6 October) and began taking limited steps Wednesday afternoon (7 October).

"Today (8 October), she is walking with some assistance, and her arms—which sustained significant injuries during the execution attempt—are healing and regaining movement and strength. Her lungs are clear, and she has started to eat a regular diet. Physicians are encouraged by her physical recovery."

It is not currently clear whether or not the state of Tennessee will attempt to execute Pike again at a later date.

The state has temporarily suspended all executions until the end of the year, while an investigation is carried out.

Featured Image Credit: (TDOC)

Topics: US News