US killer Christa Pike's lawyers give details of failed execution

In the United States, 50-year-old Tennessee execution survivor Christa Pike is said to be left gravely ill and unconcious.

Pike's lawyer presented the first detailed account of her injuries in an emergency motion on Friday, with a call on the state Chancery Court to order preservation of evidence that showed the prison personnel's violation of her constitutional rights.

Two doses of pentobarbital were administered to the convicted killer at Nashville's Riverbend Maximum Security Institution earlier this week.

Pike's attorneys say both of her arms were left burned, swollen and blistered.

They believe the pentobarbital, a highly alkaline and caustic substance, flowed into her body instead of her bloodstream because the IV lines were incorrectly placed or that the veins had blown.

Hours after Wednesday night's bungled lethal injection, Pike remained unconscious on a mechanical ventilator in a hospital as staff scrambled to clear the drug pentobarbital from her system that Tennessee uses to execute prisoners.

The attorneys state in a filing that they are seeking a court order for the state department of correction to preserve evidence, accusing officials of　dismissing warnings from Pike's doctors about her pre-existing thrombocytosis, which makes placing IV lines especially difficult.

Witnesses could hear Pike "crying, whimpering and breathing loudly throughout the procedure," according to the filing.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has ordered an independent review of what went wrong.

This is the state's second botched execution in 2026. It will prompt the governor to pause any further attempts to carry out the capital punishment for the rest of the year.