Judge orders Tennessee to preserve evidence from Christa Pike's failed execution

A Tennessee judge on Wednesday ordered the state to hold on to evidence from its failed attempt to execute Christa Pike.

The preservation order covers the lethal injection drugs, syringes, IV lines and tubing, medical supplies, surveillance footage, photos, recordings, logs and other material tied to the Sept. 30 execution attempt. Pike survived two doses of pentobarbital and was taken from prison to a Nashville hospital.

Access to her lawyers

At Wednesday's status conference, Pike's attorneys said they have struggled to see her. The court directed them to give prison officials at least two hours' notice by email before visits and said she should have access to counsel just as she would in prison.

Her legal team also said she is still shackled and handcuffed to her hospital bed even though medical staff have asked that the restraints be removed. They asked that she get back the tablet she used in prison to communicate. The judge held off, asking the state to explain how that system works and whether it can be used in a hospital.

What comes next

Pike's lawyers say she is awake and talking but faces a long recovery. They have publicly called for her death sentence to be commuted. Gov. Bill Lee has halted Tennessee's remaining executions this year while the state investigates.