Christa Pike says she is 'recovering' after botched execution in new statement

"And the pain isn't just physical. There is pain in my mind and in my soul.'October 30, 2026, 10:09 AMChrista Pike said in a statement released by her attorneys on Friday that she is "recovering" but had been "deeply hurt by the incompetence" after her botched execution."My body hurts. My arms hurt. My hands hurt. My throat hurts. I still struggle to speak. And the pain isn't just physical. There is pain in my mind and in my soul," she said.Pike dictated her message to her legal team, the statement said.The statement, her first public comments since the failed execution, comes one month after her execution date.Pike touched on the day she was scheduled to be executed, the moments after she awoke and the toll the failed execution took on her in the statement.Pike is currently in the infirmary at the Debra K. Johnson Rehabilitation Center in Nashville, Tennessee, the statement said.Christa Pike enters a Knox County Criminal Court in Knoxville, Tennessee, December 4, 2007.J. Miles Cary/via Reuters"I walked into the execution chamber at Riverbend men's prison prepared to die. I had made my peace," she said. "I had told the people who loved me, supported me and stood by me through the years I was grateful for them. I had also told the people in the room and who were there to witness my execution that I was leaving them in loving kindness."Popular ReadsPike said days after her survival, she awoke "confused and in pain."She said she had "not contemplated life beyond that night" and was "deeply hurt by the incompetence that has put so many people in this terrible position."This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.Sponsored Content by Taboola