“Christa is dealing with the profound psychological trauma of having survived a failed execution, including the terror, pain and uncertainty of believing she was about to die,” her legal team said.
Pike’s lawyers said they do not know the full emotional and psychological toll of the execution attempt or how long it will take her to recover.
They added that while she struggles to process what happened, she “continues to express concern for others, particularly the family of her victim Colleen Slemmer”.
Slemmer’s mother, who was among those pushing for Pike to be put to death, has branded the failed execution a “mess”.
Pike’s boyfriend at the time of Slemmer’s murder, Tadaryl Shipp, was spared the death penalty because he was not legally an adult when the crime was committed. He remains in prison.
Pike was 18 and Shipp was 17 when they beat, tortured and killed 19-year-old Slemmer, whom they had met at a job training camp for low-income young people.