Christa Pike, a death-row inmate in the US state of Tennessee, was administered lethal injections twice, yet her heart continued to beat.

Following complications during the lethal injection procedure, Pike's lawyers immediately filed a petition to halt the execution and secure medical treatment for her.

The petition stated, "Pike has lost consciousness, yet her heart is still beating. Snoring sounds can be heard as she breathes."

One of her lawyers told the BBC, "The 50-year-old Pike was administered two syringes of pentobarbital. She is now undergoing treatment at a hospital."

Christa Pike was sentenced to death in 1996 for the murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer. Pike was 18 years old at the time of the murder.

According to the prosecution, Pike and her then-boyfriend, Tadaryl Shipp, beat, tortured, and killed Slemmer.

The three had met at a job training camp organized for troubled teenagers.

Slemmer's mother, Martinez, said she wanted the sentence to be carried out. She told the Associated Press, "Whenever I think about it, I recall the pain Colleen must have endured and imagine her trying to get up and run away."

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