He added that she could also potentially face future competency issues

NEED TO KNOW

• Christa Pike’s attorney says she “may never recover” after surviving Tennessee’s failed lethal-injection attempt
• Pike remains hospitalized on a ventilator, and her legal team says her long-term prognosis — including possible competency issues — is still unclear
• Her attorney says the state has not indicated whether it will seek another execution date, while Gov. Bill Lee has paused executions for the rest of the year

Christa Pike’s attorney says she “may never recover” following Tennessee’s failed execution attempt.

Stephen Ferrell, a member of Pike’s legal team, made the comment while appearing on CNN’s State of the Union with Jake Tapper on Sunday, Oct. 4.

Ferrell said that Pike, 50, is still hospitalized on a ventilator and “critically ill.”

“We don’t really know the prognosis yet and may not know for several days,” the attorney said, adding that he has not personally seen his client since she was hospitalized. He noted that her hospital room is currently “guarded.”

“It remains to be seen what the future is,” Ferrell continued. “I think one of the main things that will leave this up in the air for a while is the fact that we don’t know what the prognosis is — as in, the long-term prognosis. If she recovers — she may not fully recover.” 

“And there may be issues about her competence. We just don’t know any of this,” he said.

Ferrell added that the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office — which would typically initiate a request for another execution date — has “not given us any indication as to what their intentions will be.”

Ferrell told Tapper that he believes the governor should commute Pike’s death sentence to a life sentence “at the very least,” adding that she has already “endured a torturous attempt at executing her.”

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has paused all executions in the state for the remainder of the year. He also ordered an independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding Pike’s botched execution. 

In a statement to PEOPLE, a spokesperson for the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office said, “The governor has appropriately called for an investigation,” adding, “We need to know what happened.”

Pike survived the execution attempt on Wednesday, Sept. 30, after receiving two doses of pentobarbital, a drug that suppresses breathing and cardiovascular function in high enough doses. She reportedly remained unconscious but breathing following the injections. 

In a court filing obtained by PEOPLE, Pike’s attorneys said both of Pike’s arms were “swollen, burned and blistered” when she arrived at the hospital and claimed that seven needles were inserted during the botched execution.

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According to her attorneys, Pike could be heard crying, whimpering and breathing loudly during the procedure. At one point, she said, “My arm feels like it’s about to burst open,” and later asked, “Does this happen like that?”

Pike was accused of killing her classmate, Colleen Slemmer, on Jan. 12, 1995, and was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death the following year.

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