Christa Pike faces new legal hurdles after surviving a botched execution, raising crucial questions about cognitive impairment and capital punishment.
If Christa Pike's recovery from two doses of the lethal injection drug pentobarbital has left her mentally impaired, she could be spared from her death sentence, according to a leading expert on capital punishment in the United States.
"Her attorney stated that she still seems a little confused about things and is not clear on, doesn't have a clear memory of what happened to her," said Fordham Law Professor Deborah Denno, a leading expert on capital punishment. "If that continues, that it could be very difficult for the state to execute her for that reason alone. In other words, you have to understand why you're getting a punishment and also connect that to whatever crime you committed."
She added, "We also don't execute people who have intellectual disabilities."