Legal team: Pike still alive and being treated after failed injection procedure

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Attorneys for Christa Pike say the death row inmate is still alive but in critical condition a day after the state’s failed attempt to execute her for the 1995 murder of a woman.

The state tried to execute Pike by lethal injection on Wednesday but neither the initial nor backup dose of pentobarbital killed her. Pike was still snoring when the execution chamber’s microphone was cut off more than an hour into the attempt, and she was later taken to a hospital for treatment.

Her lawyers said Thursday that she is still being treated, but they didn’t know details about how she’s faring. Tennessee’s Republican governor, Bill Lee, called what transpired “deeply disturbing” and has ordered an independent review.