Christa Pike Survives Failed Execution, Faces Uncertain Death Sentence

Convicted murderer Christa Pike survived Tennessee's attempt to execute her by lethal injection on September 30. She received two doses of the drug pentobarbital during the procedure. The failed execution left her unconscious and on a ventilator with severe arm injuries. She was hospitalized before returning to prison.

Pike, now 50, says she continues to experience constant pain. In a statement dictated to her legal team, she said her body, arms, hands, and throat hurt, and that she still struggles to speak. She added that the pain is not only physical but also exists in her mind and soul.

“My body hurts. My arms hurt. My hands hurt. My throat hurts.”

Pike was sentenced to death for the 1995 stabbing death of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer, a classmate in a federal Job Corps program in Knoxville. Pike was 18 when she tortured and killed Slemmer with her boyfriend. The slaying involved carving a pentagram shape in the victim's chest and taking a piece of her skull as a souvenir.

Governor Bill Lee addressed Pike's fate on Wednesday, stating she remains incarcerated under Tennessee law. He said he suspects her sentence will remain the same unless courts determine otherwise. Pike's attorneys have called on Lee to commute her death sentence to life without parole.

Pike is the first person known to have survived a full lethal dose of execution drugs. Tennessee may attempt to execute her again, though the state could face legal hurdles. A former Knoxville police chief described Pike as ruthless and almost giddy when describing the crime to investigators.