Christa Gail Pike, a 50-year-old woman, was scheduled to be executed on Wednesday, October 1, 2026, at the Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville, Tennessee, for a 1995 murder. However, the execution failed after officials administered two doses of the lethal drug pentobarbital. Pike was convicted of the fatal stabbing and beating of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer, her classmate at a job training facility in Knoxville.
According to Pike's attorneys, the execution failed as she remained alive and loudly snoring after receiving the two doses of pentobarbital. She was taken to a hospital for treatment, but her condition remains unknown. The Tennessee Department of Correction stated that they followed the state's lawful execution protocol, which includes administering a secondary set of drug syringes if the inmate is not deceased after the first set.
The execution protocol does not specify what happens if the subject is alive after the second set of drugs. Death penalty expert Robin M. Maher, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center, described Pike's experience as "singular and unparalleled". Seven other people have survived medical problems due to execution team failures, but no one has stayed alive after receiving the drugs used in such executions.
Pike's case garnered widespread attention due to the circumstances of the crime, including a pentagram carved into Slemmer's body. Pike and her boyfriend were convicted of the crime, with Pike receiving a death sentence and her boyfriend receiving a life sentence with the possibility of parole. Pike did not deny committing the killing but argued that her age at the time, mental illness, and allegations of severe sexual abuse should be considered.
The US Supreme Court cleared the way for Pike's execution to proceed, despite a last-minute stay from the 6th Circuit US Court of Appeals. The court's conservative majority did not explain their order, while the three liberal members signed a dissent that said Pike's claims deserved a closer look. Pike's attorneys filed an emergency motion to halt the execution, citing her "unnecessary agony" and violation of her right to be executed free of cruel and unusual punishment.
This is the second time this year that Tennessee has been unable to carry out an execution. In May, state officials called off the lethal injection of Tony Carruthers, who was convicted of kidnapping and killing three people in 1994, after executioners tried and failed to place an IV to administer pentobarbital. Pike's case has renewed debate over the death penalty for young offenders, with Pike's supporters arguing that her age and mental illness should be considered.
The killing rocked the city of Knoxville, with Slemmer's mother, May Martinez, waiting decades to see Pike's sentence carried out. Martinez said she has not forgotten her daughter's pain and that not a day goes by without thinking about Colleen. Pike was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder after the killing and has expressed remorse for her actions.
Key points
- The execution of Christa Pike failed after two doses of pentobarbital were administered.
- Pike was convicted of murdering 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer in 1995.
- The case has renewed debate over the death penalty for young offenders and the use of lethal injection as a form of execution.
