Tennessee woman in hospital after execution

Convicted US murderer Christa Pike, whose execution has been stayed

Arrest and charges

Tennessee woman Christa Pike was in a hospital Thursday after authorities "failed" to carry out her execution, her lawyers said, with witnesses reporting the convicted murderer was breathing despite the injections intended to kill her.

Tennessee corrections officials did not publicly confirm the outcome of the execution, which included two injections of pentobarbital, or respond to an AFP query seeking information.

"Tonight the State of Tennessee once again failed to carry out a lawful execution," Pike's attorneys said in a statement.

"Christa is being treated at a nearby hospital. We have not been informed as to her condition."

Pike was scheduled for execution at 10:00 am (1500 GMT) at the Riverbend Maximum Security Institution, where witnesses including journalists were present for the administration of the injections.

Charges and court proceedings

Just hours earlier the US Supreme Court cleared the way for Pike to be the first woman to die by lethal injection in the southern US state of Tennessee in 200 years.

"It appears this did not go how this was supposed to go," said investigative journalist John North of WBIR who was a witness at the execution site, adding "when we left the building, so far as we knew, she was probably still alive."