Leaked Christa Pike photo after execution could explain why she survived
Seven needles were reportedly inserted without success during Christa Pike's execution attempt in Tennessee, with a leaked photo appearing to showcase the brutal aftermath.
The 50-year-old murderer remains in hospital after receiving two doses of pentobarbital, the lethal drug at the center of the failed procedure.
According to RadarOnline, the image was leaked from inside the Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC) and sent in by an insider who claimed it came from a correctional officer at the scene.
The picture reportedly shows a 'severely bruised arm, with trauma and internal bleeding from the elbow downward that leaves it nearly purple'.
Advert
RadarOnline has not published the photo, and UNILAD has not seen or verified it.
The source who provided the photo claimed to RadarOnline: "The needle blew her vein, causing the chemicals to go to the muscle."
Richard Levy, a professor of anesthesiology and pediatrics at the Stanford University School of Medicine, explained to The Guardian that pentobarbital kills death row inmates by stopping breathing (apnea), starving the body of oxygen and stopping the heart.
He went on: "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."
Dr Sohaib Imtiaz, Chief Medical Officer at People.Inc, told People: "If you’re giving the drug via someone’s arm, you’re relying on blood vessels. And if the blood vessel fails, or it blows, it means that the drug will be delivered to the surrounding tissue and it won’t be delivered to the major vein which is needed for it to get around the body."
If the drug doesn't enter the bloodstream, it will be absorbed too slowly, and the concentration will be too low to cause death.
Pike's attorneys separately allege that she arrived at the hospital with arms that were 'swollen, burned, and blistered', reportedly after seven needles were unsuccessfully inserted.
The insider, who is connected to the prison system, also claimed she had 'stroke-like symptoms', which has raised fears of potential permanent brain damage from oxygen deprivation.
40 medics previously demanded 'significant reforms' to Tennessee's execution protocol
The attempt was the second failed execution in Tennessee this year, which has raised serious concerns over the state's protocols surrounding executions.
Tony Carruthers was the first 'botched killing'. He was scheduled to be executed on May 21 by lethal injection but – again – it didn't work and the whole thing went on to be halted.
Executions going wrong has sparked a huge debate in the healthcare community when it comes to ethics, so much so that medical professionals in Tennessee wrote a letter to Gov. Lee calling for executions to be suspended and a requirement for healthcare workers to participate to be removed. It was signed by 40 doctors and nurses.
Per the Guardian, Pike’s attorneys have alleged that improperly placed intravenous lines allowed the drug with which she was injected to enter tissue rather than her bloodstream, leaving both arms severely injured.
Her lawyer Randy Spivey previously told the BBC 'the execution team attempted to establish an IV line for an hour,' adding "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."
One media witness reported that Pike had complained about the pain of the injections, saying: "My arm feels like it's about to burst open."
The case has also cost a senior official his job. Frank Strada, head of TDOC, resigned just three days after Pike's execution attempt failed.
Governor Bill Lee told the BBC that Strada's exit was necessary for the 'best interest of Tennesseans'.
He also promised a comprehensive, third-party review of the process and halted all scheduled executions for the year.
"Carrying out a lawfully imposed sentence is among the State's most serious responsibilities," he added.
UNILAD has contacted the Tennessee Department of Correction and Pike's attorneys for comment.
Thomas Bamford