What could happen next for Christa Pike as lawyers confirm she has been released from hospital

The American justice system is facing an unprecedented situation following Christa Pike's botched execution.

With the death row inmate having survived two lethal injection doses, it's sparked a legal debate regarding exactly what happens next to the convicted murderer.

Her victim was 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer, who in January 1995, a then-18-year-old Pike and her 17-year-old boyfriend Tadaryl Shipp, lured Slemmer into the woods, beat her for 30 minutes, carved a pentagram into her chest, and killed her by smashing her head with asphalt.

Shipp - who is still incarcerated - avoided the death penalty due to the fact that he was a minor, while Pike was sentenced to death at the age of 20.

On September 30, Tennessee authorities attempted to execute her using two doses of pentobarbital but she somehow survived the procedures and was rushed to a local hospital for treatment.

On Saturday (October 10), the 50-year-old was discharged and transferred back to the Debra K Johnson Rehabilitation Centre to continue her recovery.

Various medical experts have heavily speculated that a severe problem with the IV line caused the drug to pool in her tissue - this means the lethal dosage never actually entered her bloodstream as originally intended.

Christa Pike, pictured during her court case in the 1990s, survived two lethal injections (WTVF)

In a recent court filing, Pike’s lawyers wrote that 'apparently at no point did any member of the execution team realise that the IV lines were not correctly placed', fueling the ongoing debate over a second attempt.

Legal experts are now discussing three possible outcomes for Pike - these include a second execution attempt using a different method, another attempt using lethal injection, or potentially commuting her original sentence entirely due to the complications.

Law professor Charley Dugdale explained that any second execution attempt could face constitutional challenges. However, she told LADbible that 'existing US precedent suggests that a state may be permitted to make a second attempt'.

She said: “In Louisiana ex rel Francis v Resweber (1947), the Supreme Court allowed Louisiana to try again after an electric-chair execution failed which the Court treated as an unforeseeable mechanical accident. This does not necessarily answer Pike’s case, but if Tennessee seeks another execution date, her lawyers could challenge it on several grounds."

“The legal significance of the investigation will therefore be considerable. What caused the first failure, and what Tennessee proposes to do differently, are likely to be central to any future litigation."

Other prisoners who have survived executions (LADbible/Tennessee/Idaho/Alabama/Ohio Department of Correction)

Dugdale went on to detail seven ways her lawyers could appeal.

These include an Eighth Amendment claim based on the physical and psychological effects of the first attempt, an argument that another lethal injection would expose Pike to a substantial risk of severe pain, a challenge based on Pike’s medical conditions and what happened during the first attempt.

As well as a request to prevent another execution until Tennessee discloses the findings of its investigation, due process arguments concerning transparency and Pike’s ability to challenge a new execution plan, a challenge to any attempt to use the same protocol without meaningful changes, and finally, a competency claim if the failed execution caused injuries affecting Pike’s ability to understand the nature and purpose of the punishment.

Her defense has since issued the following statement: "Christa Pike was discharged from a local hospital and is now at Debra K. Johnson Rehabilitation Center where she has been housed for more than 30 years.

"She is grateful to the first responders and her medical team for their care in these extraordinary circumstances. She is continuing to receive medical care at the prison, and we will continue to track her recovery."