What's Next for Christa Pike After Surviving Lethal Injection
Her lawyers said prison staff struggled for nearly an hour to find a vein, and Tennessee has paused scheduled executions after the failed procedure.
- On Wednesday, Christa Gail Pike survived two botched lethal injection attempts at the Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville and remains in critical condition.
- Pike, 50, was sentenced to death over 30 years ago for the 1995 murder of Colleen Slemmer; her accomplice Tadaryl Shipp received life in prison, while Shadolla Peterson received probation.
- Witnesses reported execution staff struggled for an hour to establish an IV line using seven needles, while Pike was heard "snoring" and "looking around" after receiving two full doses of pentobarbital.
- Tennessee has since paused all scheduled executions following the incident, and attorney Randall Spivey called the attempted execution "cruel" and "torturous."
- Family members of Slemmer, who had waited 30 years to see the sentence carried out, expressed frustration that Pike is back in headlines instead of their loved one receiving focus.
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Why Did Inmate Christa Pike Survive Lethal Injection and What Exactly Went Wrong During Execution?
Christa Pike survived Tennessee's attempted lethal injection and remained in critical condition, prompting an investigation into the failed execution and uncertainty over her legal future
Convicted murderer Christa Pike, who was tried for execution in the US state of Tennessee on Wednesday but ended up in hospital after the attempt went wrong, is in critical condition, her lawyer Randy Spivey said on Thursday. He accused the state of cruelty and called for a reduction in the sentence.
Christa Pike's execution in Tennessee was not carried out, as she survived two doses of pentobarbital and was subsequently taken to the hospital. Associated Press reporters, who witnessed the failed execution, have published details from the execution chamber.Pike, sentenced to death for the torture and murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer in 1995, before the lethal injection began, said she was quiet. Today she is 50 years old, while she was 1…
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