A Tennessee death row inmate remained unconscious on a ventilator Friday after surviving the state's failed attempt to execute her this week, and her attorneys accused prison officials of ignoring months of warnings that the lethal injection could go catastrophically wrong.Christa Pike was scheduled to be executed for the 1995 torture killing of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer.She would have become the first woman executed in Tennessee in more than 200 years before Wednesday night's execution attempt failed.Pike's attorneys filed an emergency motion in Davidson County Chancery Court seeking an order requiring the Tennessee Department of Correction to preserve evidence related to what they described as the state's "botched attempted execution."They argue the records are critical to determining what happened, protecting Pike's legal rights and ensuring accountability.DEATH ROW INMATE TONY CARRUTHERS WON'T FACE EXECUTION FOR AT LEAST A YEAR AFTER IV LINE FAILURE IN TENNESSEEChrista Gail Pike was scheduled to be executed Sept.
30.(Tennessee Department of Correction via AP)"Christa remains critically ill and is receiving medical care for the devastating effects of Wednesday night's events," attorneys Stephen Ferrell and Luke Ihnen said in a statement Friday.
"As detailed in today's filing, Christa remains hospitalized following Wednesday night's failed execution attempt."She is critically ill, unconscious, intubated and receiving breathing assistance through a ventilator," they added."She is being treated for the serious effects of the pentobarbital administered during the execution attempt, including significant injuries to both arms."MULTIPLE DEATH SENTENCES IN DIFFERENT STATES ARE SET TO BE CARRIED OUT WITHIN 24 HOURS: 'NOT VERY COMMON'The emergency motion paints a far more detailed picture of what Pike's attorneys say unfolded inside the execution chamber.Pike’s team contends the execution team struggled to establish IV access, using at least seven needles before ad...