Christa Pike requested firing squad before failed lethal injection that left her in critical condition

Christa Pike had reportedly asked to be executed by firing squad rather than lethal injection, fearing the possibility of a prolonged and painful death.

Just days after making the request, the 50-year-old survived two doses of lethal injection during a botched execution in Tennessee and was left in critical condition in the hospital.

Pike's legal team had previously argued that a firing squad would be preferable to lethal injection, with the convicted killer reportedly requesting an all-female execution team.

However, Tennessee does not currently authorise firing squads as a method of execution.

Her lawyers had also previously proposed hanging as an alternative, pointing out that Tennessee had historically used the method to execute women, but the state argued it did not have the legal authority or equipment to carry it out.

Pike requested to die by lethal injection (Tennessee Department of Corrections)

The request has taken on new significance following what happened inside Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville on Wednesday (30 Sept) - the scheduled date of Pike's execution.

Pike had been due to die by lethal injection after more than three decades on death row for the brutal 1995 murder of 19-year-old Job Corps student Colleen Slemmer.

The convicted killer's execution was initially halted by a last-minute legal stay before the US Supreme Court overturned the decision, allowing Tennessee officials to proceed.

When the execution began, Pike was strapped to a gurney and allowed to make what were expected to be her final words.

Despite promising, 'I’m going to leave this world the way I spent most of my life, and that is with love', she did not die.

Pike was convicted for the murder of Colleen Slemmer (First Coast News/ABC)

Witnesses said Pike remained conscious after the first dose of pentobarbital was administered.

She reportedly pointed towards her arm and questioned attendees whether the sensation she was experiencing was normal, before telling her spiritual adviser: "I’m trying."

A second dose was eventually administered, but she survived that too.

Witnesses later reported hearing Pike breathing and snoring from inside the execution chamber, while her lawyer Randy Spivey said he counted at least seven needles in her left arm as officials struggled to find a suitable vein.

Pike was ultimately taken to hospital, where she remains in critical condition.

And according to another of her lawyers, Steve Ferrell, the drawn-out nature of what happened was exactly what Pike had feared most.

Pike had reportedly expressed fear over a drawn out death (BBC)

"I do know that that really was her biggest fear," Ferrell said. "It was not a fear of dying. It was a fear of a prolonged, painful, traumatic death, and that's what happened minus the death."

He added: "We may never know what all she was suffering through, either because she can't remember it, she can't tell it, or it overwhelms her in such a way that, you know, sometimes pain and suffering affects people that way."

According to Spivey, Pike had attempted to help the execution team locate a vein, repeatedly saying: "Please try here, please try here."

"She told them over and over, please try higher on my shoulder," he said.

Pike's lawyers had warned before the execution that her lifelong blood disorder could make accessing her veins difficult.

The Tennessee Department of Correction has defended the procedure, saying it 'followed every step of the State’s lawful, established execution protocol approved by the Attorney General’s Office'.

Lee described the failed attempt as 'deeply disturbing' (Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)

Following the failed execution, Governor Bill Lee ordered an independent review and postponed Tennessee's remaining scheduled execution for 2026.

He described what happened as 'deeply disturbing'.

"This is a tragedy," Lee continued. "There is no one that wanted what happened last night to happen. It shouldn't have happened. There are very few answers this morning. It's very early. The people of our state deserve to have those questions answered."

Pike's legal team is now calling once again for her death sentence to be commuted to life imprisonment.

Her prior clemency request for a different method of execution came amid arguments that lethal injection could trigger memories of childhood abuse and that her medical history could make the procedure particularly difficult.

Lee previously rejected this, however.