Christa Pike discharged from hospital and returned to prison, her lawyers say

What the report says

US death row inmate Christa Pike has been discharged from hospital and returned to prison after surviving a botched execution in Tennessee, according to her lawyers and the BBC World News report. Pike, 50, had been taken to hospital in critical condition after officials carried out two lethal injections of pentobarbital on 30 September. Her lawyers said she is now back at the prison where she has spent about 30 years and is still receiving medical care.

The BBC reported that Pike regained consciousness earlier this week, surprising doctors, legal representatives and other experts involved in the case. Her lawyers said she expressed gratitude to the first responders and medical team handling her treatment. The report said she was believed to be the only person known to have survived an execution attempt by lethal injection, placing the case in unusual legal and medical territory.

At a court hearing on Wednesday, Tennessee Assistant Attorney General Will Ayers said he did not know whether the state would seek to reschedule the execution. The judge also ordered Tennessee to preserve evidence connected to the failed execution, which could support any later legal challenge.

Pike was convicted over the killing of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer, whom she and her then-boyfriend Tadaryl Shipp were found to have beaten, tortured and killed when Pike was 18. The case continues to draw attention because of the failed execution, questions about next steps from the state, and the possibility of further litigation.