Pike's attorneys said her condition is medically unprecedented, and her prognosis remains unclear. They expect a long recovery after severe damage to Pike's arms.

Christa Pike, a Tennessee inmate who was unconscious and on a ventilator after a failed execution, is now awake and speaking, according to her lawyers.

The Tennessee woman who survived an execution attempt last week is conscious, speaking and receiving medical care, in a development her attorneys described as "unprecedented."