Christa Pike, 50, survived two rounds of lethal injection; documents reveal a rare form of cancer

Nine months before the attempt to execute Christa Pike in Tennessee failed, her lawyers had notified U.S. authorities about the serious risks that lethal injection could pose to her health.

Court documents obtained by People magazine show that Pike has a rare blood disorder linked to a form of cancer called myeloproliferative disorder.

On January 8, 2026, the defense filed a complaint arguing that execution by lethal injection could cause Pike unnecessary pain and suffering. According to her lawyers, this would violate the First, Eighth, and Fourteenth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution.

The complaint stated that her blood platelet level was very high, likely due to the rare disease. The lawyers warned that this condition, called thrombocytosis, could increase the risk of pulmonary edema during the administration of the lethal substances. Pulmonary edema is the buildup of fluid in the lungs and can create a sensation of drowning.

The defense explained to the court that this condition could feel like suffocation or drowning, an experience that experts have compared to waterboarding. The lawyers also raised concerns about Pike’s veins: according to the documents, drawing blood and inserting needles had been difficult in the past, so the prison medical staff used special butterfly-type needles for her tests.

To significantly reduce the risk of unnecessary pain, the lawyers requested that such needles be used during the execution as well. On September 30, their concerns gained particular weight when the team conducting the procedure had difficulty placing intravenous lines to administer the lethal substances.

Pike survived two rounds of the drugs used for the execution. Afterward, she spent 10 days in the hospital and was then returned to the Debra K. Johnson Rehabilitation Center in Tennessee, where she spends most of the day in isolation. Her lawyers have urgently asked the court to end the isolation; both sides are expected to present arguments this week.

In the earlier complaint, the defense had also objected to Tennessee’s updated execution protocol. The lawyers criticized the lack of a guarantee of immediate telephone access before and during the procedure, which they considered essential for seeking court intervention if problems arose.

It is still unknown what will happen to Christa Pike. Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has suspended other scheduled executions in the state during 2026 and ordered an independent investigation to clarify why the procedure failed.

Pike was sentenced to death for the murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer in 1995. She was 18 years old at the time and, along with her then-boyfriend, tortured the young woman before killing her with a box cutter.

The case has reignited debate in the United States about the execution of death row inmates, with particular attention to the safety of procedures, the suffering they may cause, and the responsibility of authorities.