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President Trump expressed disbelief about Christa Pike’s botched execution, wondering how it could happen given that the lethal drugs should be “easy” to administer.
Pike survived the two rounds of lethal injection, becoming the first person in history to survive that death penalty method.
“How does that happen?,” Trump said. “Should be easy to do. It shouldn’t be very difficult.”
He described it as an “interesting situation” but refused to weigh in on next steps, saying that was up to the state of Tennessee.
“That was an interesting situation, but you’re going to have to speak to Tennessee about it. Whether or not they’re going to go forward,” he told reporters who traveled with him to Texas.
Pike, 50, was slated to be the first woman put to death by the state in 200 years. She was convicted of torture and murder after brutally bludgeoning a classmate to death and hacking her body with a box cutter in 1995, when they were teens.
She is alive and in critical condition.
Pike was stabbed with at least seven needles, her attorneys said Thursday, during the botched procedure.
Randy Spivey, one of her lawyers, called what happened “cruel and torturous” and urged Gov. Bill Lee (R-Tenn.) to commute her sentence to life in prison.
Here’s the latest on the botched execution of Tennessee murderer Christa Pike:
- Christa Pike likely got her wish for an all-female execution staff before botched lethal injection: attorney
- Christa Pike still alive, tried to help executioners find a good vein before botched lethal injection attempt: lawyer
- Christa Pike is first death row inmate ever to survive lethal injection, expert says
- Christa Pike likely has ‘brain injury’ after botched execution — here’s what went wrong
Pike had actually requested to be executed by hanging, arguing that blown veins in her arm would make it hard for the executioner to access them for the pentobarbital.
Lee suspended all executions in the state pending review. He said what happened to Pike was a “tragedy.”
