Christa Pike says prison officials are requiring her to clean a shower crawling with roaches, despite what she describes as deteriorating physical health. In a recent court filing, she argues that the task could expose her to infection or cause further injury, and says the expectations are unreasonable given her condition.
Pike was recently taken to an emergency room after returning to prison following a failed execution attempt. The filing also renews her request to leave her current isolation arrangement. She says she wants to take part in regular prison activities but does not feel safe returning to her previous housing unit, where she claims to have witnessed violence involving inmates and guards.
Her attorneys are asking a judge to intervene, arguing that prison officials are not following a 2024 agreement intended to end Pike’s decades-long solitary confinement and allow her more interaction with other inmates.
Pike survived two rounds of lethal-injection drugs during an execution attempt in Tennessee on September 30 and was hospitalized before being returned to prison. She was sentenced to death for the 1995 murder of her classmate Colleen Slemmer. Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has announced a pause on executions through the end of the year following the failed procedure, while saying Pike’s execution is expected to be rescheduled.
Sources: TMZ.