Christa Pike out of hospital and back behind bars

Tennessee death row inmate Christa Pike is back behind bars following a stunning recovery from a botched execution attempt. Her attorneys confirmed that the fifty-year-old was discharged from a Nashville hospital over the weekend and returned to the Debra K. Johnson Rehabilitation Center, where she has spent the last thirty years. Pike had been hospitalized in critical condition since September thirtieth, after surviving two full doses of lethal injection drugs. Doctors initially feared she was brain dead, but her legal team says she is now awake, walking, and continuing her medical recovery under watch in prison. Moving forward, Pike’s defense team is expected to file a motion arguing that a second execution attempt would constitute cruel and unusual punishment, likely freezing her case in the federal courts for years to come.