Stories
Christa Pike Survives Two Lethal Injections in Botched Tennessee Execution
- •Christa Pike, convicted of a 1995 murder, was scheduled for execution in Tennessee, the state's first female inmate execution in 200 years.
- •An appeals court granted a last-minute reprieve, but the Supreme Court overturned it, allowing the execution to proceed.
- •Pike received two doses of pentobarbital but remained alive, reportedly asking about her arm and snoring behind a curtain.
- •The botched execution led Tennessee Governor Bill Lee to order a third-party review and suspend all remaining scheduled executions for the year.
- •Pike's lawyers filed an emergency motion to halt the execution, citing concerns about vein access and the execution protocol.
Key Questions Answered
In 1996, an 18-year-old Christa Pike was convicted of first-degree murder for the brutal torture and killing of her classmate, Colleen Slemmer, in 1995. Pike, along with accomplices, slashed the victim with a box cutter, carved a pentagram into her chest, and removed a skull fragment.
Tennessee officials administered two doses of pentobarbital via lethal injection after a legal battle involving a brief appeals court stay and a Supreme Court override. However, the execution was botched because Pike survived both doses, complaining of burning sensations and remaining conscious and snoring behind a curtain until the microphone was cut off.
Following the failed execution, Governor Bill Lee ordered a comprehensive third-party review to investigate what happened and suspended all remaining scheduled executions for the year, including that of Gary Wayne Sutton.
