Christa Pike’s lethal injection: Lawyer says medical experts predicted IV issues at execution

Ads

It’s not yet clear what led to Christine Pike’s botched execution in Tennessee, but her attorney Stephen Ferrell said due to her blood condition and "difficult" veins, medical experts shared predictions in previous legal testimony, noting that that the IV line could become dislodged or pierce through her veins, what’s known as "infiltration."

"It sounds like that is likely to have occurred," he said. "And so that the lethal injection drugs were not going directly into the bloodstream, but were rather ending up in her arm.”

Still, Spivey said Pike endured a “full lethal injection attempt.” Spivey shared during a press conference that Pike was alive, but in critical condition.

Sign up for our newsletter for the day’s top stories, from sports to movies to politics to world events: https://profile.usatoday.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/

Tags: Breaking News, Latest News, USA TODAY, USA TODAY News, USA TODAY Video