Christa Gail Pike survives lethal injection after death sentence in Nashville

Christa Gail Pike survived a lethal injection on Wednesday in Nashville after officials gave her two doses of pentobarbital. Gov. Bill Lee halted the state’s remaining execution this year and ordered an independent review of the event.

Pike, 50, was alive and snoring after the procedure, her attorneys said in court filings. An ambulance took her to a hospital. Her legal team had not received updates on her medical condition.

Lee stated that the remaining scheduled execution will not take place this year.

Carrying out a lawfully imposed sentence is among the State’s most serious responsibilities, and the people of Tennessee expect it to be done in a manner that is not only legal and constitutional, but is effective.

The Tennessee Department of Correction said it followed every step of the established protocol. The protocol allows a secondary set of syringes if an inmate is not deceased. It does not state what happens if the inmate survives the second set.

Robin M. Maher, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center, said the event is singular and unparalleled. Maher said other people have survived vein access problems, but no one has stayed alive after receiving the drugs.

Execution chamber timeline

Pike was scheduled for execution at 10 a.m. on Wednesday. She was convicted of the 1995 killing of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer in Knoxville.

The 6th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals stopped the execution an hour beforehand. The U.S. Supreme Court later overturned that stay, allowing the process to move forward.

Media witnesses said officials raised curtains to the chamber at 7:27 p.m. Pike was strapped to a gurney. Pike described herself as at peace.

I’m going to leave this world the way I spent most of my life and that is in love.

Pike remained awake. She asked prison officials if her arm was supposed to feel that way. It was not clear what she meant.

Witnesses reported that officials administered the second dose by 8:26 p.m. Pike was heard snoring until the microphone cut off at 8:53 p.m.

Her lawyers filed emergency motions to the Tennessee Supreme Court, Sixth Circuit court, and a district court. They argued the event caused unnecessary agony and violated her constitutional rights.

This marked the second failed execution in Tennessee this year. In May, officials called off the execution of Tony Carruthers after failing to place an IV.

Background of the case

Pike and her boyfriend were convicted of the fatal stabbing and beating of Slemmer. All three were classmates at a job training facility in Knoxville.

Prosecutors said Pike lured Slemmer to a wooded area on Jan. 12, 1995. Pike cut Slemmer with a box cutter and beat her with asphalt.

Her boyfriend, Shipp, admitted he carved a pentagram on Slemmer’s body. Shipp was 17 at the time and received life with parole. Pike was sentenced to death.

Pike was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. Her supporters noted her age of 18 at the time of the crime.

Assistant Federal Defender Stephen Ferrell said Pike’s sentence is an outlier. Other 18-year-olds in the state have had such sentences vacated.

Slemmer’s mother, May Martinez, traveled to Nashville to witness the execution. Martinez said she waited decades to see the sentence carried out.

Since 1976, 18 women have been put to death in the United States. Tennessee switched to single-dose pentobarbital in 2024 following earlier drug testing issues.

Lethal injection protocol establishes the specific drug types, dosages, and medical procedures state correctional departments must use. When complications occur, courts evaluate whether the execution method complied with constitutional limits. Independent reviews assess procedural steps and technical failures during state operations.

Tennessee officials continue to review the protocols used during the Nashville lethal injection attempt.