Toronto Star
· collected 2026-10-02 · by Jeffrey Collins The Associated Press
Story summary
Christa Pike, 50, is set to be executed by lethal injection on Wednesday in Tennessee, marking the first time a woman will be put to death in the state in over 200 years. Pike was convicted of murdering Colleen Slemmer, her 19-year-old classmate at Knoxville Job Corps, in January 1995 when she herself was only 18. Prosecutors claimed Pike feared Slemmer as a romantic rival and tortured and killed her alongside her boyfriend.
Pike’s attorneys argue that the death penalty is inappropriate given Pike's troubled childhood of sexual abuse and neglect, which they claim would influence a modern jury to not sentence her to death. However, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has denied Pike’s request for clemency, stating he will uphold the state's sentence.
Slemmer's mother supports the execution after waiting decades for justice. The case garnered significant public attention due to its brutality and because of satanic symbols carved into Slemmer's body. As of now, only 18 women have been executed in the U.S. since the 1970s compared to 1,663 men. Pike’s legal team is still seeking a last-minute reprieve from the Supreme Court due to her PTSD and concerns over psychological trauma during execution.
Written for “Tennessee Woman Execution” on 2026-10-04,
grounded in this article and the 133 other(s) covering the same event.
Tennessee’s failed attempt at executing Christa Pike despite administering two doses of a lethal drug in the state’s death chamber has left her in critical condition, according to her attorneys.
uncertain
attempt → fail → attorneys
Pike, 50, was still in the hospital Thursday and her lawyers said they did not know her long-term chance for recovery.
asserted
they → say → recovery
Tennessee went forward with the lethal injection Wednesday eight hours after it was originally scheduled to have taken place, a delay caused by a court ruling that temporarily paused the execution.
asserted
that → go → execution
What happened to Pike is “singular and unparalleled,” said Robin M. Maher, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center.
asserted
Maher → happen → Center
She said Pike was the only person who has remained alive after lethal injection drugs were administered in an execution.
asserted
drugs → say → execution
Here’s what to know about Pike’s failed execution:
asserted
Here → ’ → execution
An execution delayed, prolonged then failed
Pike’s execution was supposed to start at 10 a.m., but a federal appeals court stopped it about an hour before.
asserted
court → delay → it
The state appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, and it took eight hours for the conservative majority to overrule the lower court and let the lethal injection with the barbiturate pentobarbital to proceed.
asserted
injection → appeal → pentobarbital
About 90 minutes later, prison officials raised the curtain to the execution chamber, where media witnesses saw Pike strapped to a gurney with an IV in her arm.
asserted
Pike → raise → arm
She said she was leaving the world with love.
asserted
she → say → love
“I’m ready to be free,” she said.
asserted
she → ’m → ?
“This is a happy day.”
She sang a song with her spiritual adviser, looked around and after several minutes said her arm was hurting or burning and asked if it was supposed to feel that way.
asserted
it → sing → minutes
The curtain to the witnesses was closed then opened again around the time a second dose of pentobarbital would be administered.
asserted
dose → close → pentobarbital
Pike appeared to lose consciousness, but she continued breathing and at times made snoring-like noises for the next hour.
asserted
she → appear → hour
Prison officials closed the curtain for good about 40 minutes after they first opened it.
asserted
they → close → it
Pike’s attorney demanded a telephone to ask a court to stop the execution.
asserted
attorney → demand → execution
It’s unknown what was happening to Pike from the time the curtain closed for good at 8:06 p.m. until her attorney was told an ambulance was coming and witnesses were told to leave around 8:50 p.m.
“We at this point do not know the ramifications of the chemical torture that she has endured,” Pike’s attorney Randy Spivey said.
asserted
attorney → ’ → that
Prison officials have not said when their attempt to execute Pike turned into life-saving efforts.
asserted
attempt → say → efforts
They have only released a statement saying their lethal injection protocols were followed.
asserted
protocols → release → statement
Tennessee governor stops December execution to investigate
Within hours, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee canceled the state’s last execution of 2026, scheduled for Dec. 3, and ordered a comprehensive third-party investigation into what went wrong with Pike.
asserted
what → stop → Pike
“It needs to be done thoroughly and however long that takes, whatever process is required to make sure we get to the very end of it and all the questions are answered,” Lee said.
asserted
Lee → need → it
It’s not the first time Lee has ordered an investigation into capital punishment in Tennessee.
asserted
Lee → ’ → Tennessee
Four years ago, an independent review found the state didn’t follow its own execution rules and failed to properly test lethal injection drugs.
asserted
state → find → drugs
That probe came after an April 2022 execution was stopped because of mishandling of drugs.
asserted
execution → come → drugs
In May, Tennessee stopped the execution of Tony Carruthers after medical workers who got an IV into his right arm couldn’t get a secondary IV line after trying his other arm, his left hand and his left foot, then failing to establish a central line.
uncertain
who → stop → line
The governor ordered officials to wait at least a year before trying to execute Carruthers again.
asserted
governor → order → Carruthers
Pike’s lawyers called for the governor to now spare her life.
asserted
governor → call → life
“Christa has endured punishment greater than any other person in the history of the American death penalty.
asserted
Christa → endure → penalty
The governor must commute Christa’s sentence now,” Spivey said.
asserted
Spivey → commute → sentence
Pike’s lawyers warned of medical conditions
Pike’s legal team has previously told courts and Tennessee prison officials that she had medical conditions that would make death by lethal injection agonizing.
asserted
death → warn → injection
They said Pike suffered from a condition with elevated platelets known as thrombocytosis.
asserted
Pike → say → thrombocytosis
They argued the condition could cause issues with blood clotting at injection sites or bleeding that could affect her lungs.
uncertain
that → argue → lungs
Medical workers also had trouble drawing blood from her, and setting an IV line is a harder process, her lawyers said.
asserted
lawyers → have → line
Spivey said he counted at least seven spots where needles were put into her left arm Wednesday and that at least one needle bent on an unsuccessful attempt.
asserted
needle → say → attempt
Pike’s biggest fear from being executed wasn’t “a fear of dying.
asserted
fear → execute → dying
And that’s what happened minus the death,” said Stephen Ferrell, an attorney for Pike.
asserted
Ferrell → ’ → Pike
Pike killed 19-year-old job corps classmate
Pike didn’t deny she killed 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer in 1995.
asserted
she → kill → 1995
Prosecutors said Pike feared Slemmer was a romantic rival and lured her to a secluded area where she and her boyfriend slashed Slemmer with a box cutter and beat her with a large chunk of asphalt.
asserted
she → say → asphalt
The case got widespread attention because of the brutality of the killing, the ages of the people involved and because a satanic symbol was carved into the victim’s body.
asserted
symbol → get → body
Pike said she was sexually abused starting from when she was a toddler and that she was raped at ages 11 and 17.
asserted
she → say → ages
…and 11 more, not listed.
The Aporia
