Pike's botched execution captivated and shocked the world last month and shocked Pike, too.

"I had not contemplated life beyond that night, and I'm deeply hurt by the incompetence that has put so many people in this terrible position," she said in her statement.

Slemmer's mother, May Martinez, was among those pushing for Pike to be put to death and attended the botched execution, later calling it a "mess".

She told a local ABC News affiliate in Florida, where she lives, that she thinks the state owes her an apology.

"All I wanted was justice," Martinez said.

The Tennessee Department of Correction is yet to say why the execution did not go as planned, though it has defended the method it used.

It declined comment on Pike's statement when contacted by the BBC.