Reason why paperweight was placed in chamber during Christa Pike’s botched execution revealed

The disturbing reason a paperweight was placed inside Christa Pike's execution chamber has been revealed as the killer remains on life support following the failed lethal injection.

Pike was scheduled to become the first woman in more than 200 years to be put to death by the state of Tennessee on September 30.

Instead, the 50-year-old death row inmate managed to survive two doses of the lethal injection drug, pentobarbital, during the botched execution at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution.

She currently remains alive but unconscious in a Tennessee hospital, as staff are working to save her life and clear pentobarbital from her system.

The killer's attorneys noted that she could be heard 'crying, whimpering, and breathing loudly throughout the procedure', and authorities have not yet provided an explanation as to what went wrong.

But as the days pass by, more details about the failed execution have come to light.

The 50-year-old has spent more than three decades on death row. (Tennessee Department of Corrections)

The Associated Press reported that a paperweight 'about the size of a golf ball' was placed on a ledge inside the chamber during the execution attempt, which appeared to signal that the so-called 'lethal' drugs had been administered.

While officials did not confirm the meaning behind the mystery object, following its placement, a five-minute countdown then begna before the curtain shut.

Only it didn't quite go as planned, because three minutes later, the curtain was back up.

Following a second round of the drug being administered, Pike was rushed to hospital, as witnesses in the chamber recalled the killer 'snoring loudly'.

Pike was rushed to hospital following the botched execution attempt. (Christa Pike's legal team)

It's not clear whether the state will re-organize for the 50-year-old to suffer the death penalty in the future, but all executions in Tennessee have been canceled for the rest of the year.

And while her case is among the most unusual, it has raised further questions about what can happen when a lethal injection goes wrong - and what inmates are expected to experience when it goes according to plan.

Jonathan Groner, MD, Emeritus Professor of Clinical Surgery at Ohio State University College of Medicine, has since spoken to UNILAD about the use of pentobarbital.

In terms of pain felt during the process, Groner said it's 'unlikely' to cause discomfort if it's done correctly, but 'highly likely if administered improperly'.

He further noted that the sedative is 'less effective' if the drug leaks out of the vein or if the IV doesn't successfully go into a blood vessel.

In those instances, 'the drug will end up under the skin instead of in the circulation', and therefore will not work as intended.

Pike has spent three decades on death row for the 1995 murder of her 18-year-old college classmate, Colleen Slemmer.