In 1995, 18-year-old Christa Pike thought that her Jobs Corp classmate, Colleen Slemmer, was trying to steal her boyfriend. So Pike and a couple of friends lured Slemmer to an abandoned plant near the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. For half an hour, they taunted and tortured her, and finally, Pike smashed her skull with a piece of asphalt, killing her.
The three returned to their dorm as if nothing had happened, and Pike even kept a souvenir — a piece of Slemmer's skull — that she apparently liked to show off to her other classmates. Less than two days later, she was arrested and confessed to everything, but said she hadn't meant to kill Slemmer, only scare her.
In 1996, at the age of 20, Pike was convicted of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder. She was sentenced to death for the murder charge and 25 years for the conspiracy charge. In 2001, Pike attempted to kill a fellow inmate by strangling her with a shoestring. In 2004, she was convicted of attempted first-degree murder.
Her original execution date was set for Aug. 19, 2002, but numerous appeals have held up the process. On Wednesday evening, she finally faced the punishment for her crimes. She was to receive the death penalty at the age of 50 — the first woman to do so in the state of Tennessee in over 200 years.
Unfortunately, the state of Tennessee screwed it up.
Pike was set to die by a lethal injection of pentobarbital, but after two attempts, she was still alive and currently in a hospital. Witnesses say she lifted her head and asked if the pain in her arm was normal, and for about an hour, you could hear her "breathing" and "snoring." Journalists who were there say they've never seen anything like this after years of covering executions.
Protocol does say that if the person is still alive after the first round of injections, a second set may be administered, but there were no rules in place for what should happen if that doesn't work.
Her legal team filed for an emergency motion to halt the process, claiming she "still has a heartbeat and is audibly snoring." An expert doctor hired by her legal team suggests she now most likely has a brain injury due to the "delay of the beginning of resuscitation." The attorneys blame "degraded pentobarbital" and damaged veins for the situation, and chided the state for not having emergency care available in case something goes wrong.
Death Penalty Information Center executive director Robin Maher claims Pike is the first person to ever survive this drug cocktail.
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee said in a statement that he has ordered a "comprehensive, third-party review to determine exactly what occurred."
Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) also released the following statement:
This situation is tragic. Christa Pike should have been executed long ago. Now, this botched process is extending the pain for the family of Colleen Slemmer. While there should be a thorough review of what happened and why the process failed, the answer is simple: bring back the electric chair and deliver justice for these victims swiftly. As your governor, I will do just that.
Based on the comments I've read on social media about this situation, many people seem to agree: Do away with the lethal injections and bring back anything that will definitely get the job done. I've seen suggestions ranging from the electric chair to hangings to guillotines.
Editor's Note: Do you enjoy PJ Media's conservative reporting exposing the radical left and woke media? Support our work so we can keep bringing you the truth.
Join PJ Media VIP and use promo code FIGHT to receive 60% off your membership.
Join the Conversation
VIP members get the ability to comment on articles.