Death row inmate Christa Pike speaks in 'full sentences' for first time since botched execution
Christa Pike is now said to be walking independently and speaking in full sentences after a failed attempt to execute her via lethal injection.
On 30 September, the State of Tennessee found itself in uncharted territory after Pike survived two rounds of the lethal injection, making her the first-ever U.S. inmate to do so.
Executions in Tennessee have since been frozen until the end of the year while an investigation is carried out.
Meanwhile, Pike has since been discharged from hospital and is continuing to recover in prison, with a new update revealing that the 50-year-old's health is continuing to improve.
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Speaking to TMZ, Pike's legal team revealed she is now able to walk around independently. Her speech has also improved, with the attorney noting that she is now able to communicate clearly and in full sentences.
She is still being monitored, with the attorney noting that the long-term impact caused by surviving two fatal doses of pentobarbital is still unclear.
The update follows a statement from Pike's legal team which revealed that she was 'grateful to the first responders and her medical team for their care in these extraordinary circumstances’.
Previous reports on Pike's health revealed that she had been confused but able to communicate in a basic manner.
"She has some memories of being in the hospital but no memory, I believe, of the execution attempt," Dr Joel Zivot, the anaesthesiologist advising her team, previously told the BBC.
Dr Zivot added that her initial condition 'bodes well for a good recovery' but cautioned that it was still early days for Pike.
READ MORE: All of the failed lethal injection executions in the last decade
Will Christa Pike face another execution?
It is currently unknown whether Pike, who was sentenced to death for the 1995 killing of her Jobs Corp classmate Colleen Slemmer, will face another execution attempt at a later date.
According to a recent poll conducted by Reuters/Ipsos, only one third of Americans believe that she should face a second execution at a later date.
Pike's legal team could also argue that a second execution would violate her rights, as the Eighth Amendment bans 'cruel and unusual' punishment, especially if the state moved to use lethal injection again.
"We’re in uncharted territory," Robin Maher, executive director of the nonprofit Death Penalty Information Center, previously told USA today.
"The U.S. Supreme Court has not decided whether a second execution attempt would violate the Constitution since 1947.
"These are questions that have never needed to be asked before, and no one knows the answers.”
Brenna Cooper