Christa Pike’s lawyers have spoken about the ‘cognitive challenges’ she’s been left with following ‘brain-dead’ concerns.As previously reported, the 50-year-old was due to be executed on September 30 after spending 30 years on death row for killing her 19-year-old Job Corps classmate, Colleen Slemmer.However, her execution took a dramatic turn as officials struggled to establish an intravenous line to administer the lethal drug pentobarbital.Witnesses claim that at least seven needles had been used, with one allegedly emerging from her arm, bent.

Despite receiving the second dose of pentobarbital, Pike remained alive, with witnesses saying she was heard snoring before she was rushed to the hospital.She spent several days unconscious, raising serious concerns about whether she would recover.However, Pike eventually woke up and was able to speak and even stand. She has since been discharged back to Tennessee’s Deborah K. Johnson Rehabilitation Centre, where she has spent the last three decades.’Brain dead’ concerns sparked questions onlineAs news of the botched execution began spreading online, social media began questioning whether the drugs caused permanent neurological injuries.One X user asked: “Is Christa Pike brain dead?” while another said: “If Christa Pike requires ventilation to keep her alive, that leads me to think she is probably brain dead.”A third added: “Here’s the Christa Pike question since the fools called an ambulance. If she’s brain dead who’s in charge? Can the family keep her on life support? Or can the state say, death is death & pull the plug?”