Christa Pike says pain continues one month after failed execution

Christa Pike is experiencing constant physical and mental pain one month after Tennessee attempted to execute her. The 50-year-old inmate dictated a statement to her legal team, which was released on Friday. Pike said she has not had a moment of relief since the night she expected to die.

Pike stated that her body, arms, hands, and throat all hurt. She noted that she still struggles to speak. The pain is not only physical, she said, but also affects her mind and soul. She described waking up alone in a hospital days after the procedure, confused and in distress.

The failed execution took place on September 30 at the Riverbend men’s prison. Pike received two doses of pentobarbital. She remained unconscious for several days. Her attorneys initially believed she was brain-dead. She later regained consciousness, was discharged from the hospital, and returned to prison.

Pike is currently recovering in the infirmary at the Debra K. Johnson Rehabilitation Center. She said she is getting stronger but emphasized that healing is different from being okay. She has been largely isolated from other people in the medical ward. This isolation reminds her of the 28 years she spent in solitary confinement.

Pike was sentenced to death for the 1995 murder of Colleen Slemmer. Slemmer was 19 and participated in the same federal Job Corps program as Pike in Knoxville. Pike, who was 18 at the time, along with Tadaryl Shipp and Shadolla Peterson, took Slemmer to a secluded area on the University of Tennessee campus. Slemmer’s throat was cut, her head was struck with asphalt, and a pentagram was carved into her chest. Pike was convicted and sentenced in 1996.

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee signaled on Wednesday that Pike’s death sentence is unlikely to change. Lee stated that Pike remains incarcerated under state law. This comes two days after Pike’s attorneys asked Lee to commute her sentence to life without parole. Following the failed execution, Lee halted remaining executions for the year and ordered an independent review.

Pike said she had not contemplated life beyond the execution night. She expressed hurt over the incompetence that placed her and others in a difficult position. She continues to think about the family of Colleen Slemmer and the loss they have endured. She thanked those who supported her during her time on death row.

Pike said she does not know why she survived. She is trying to understand what comes next. She noted that finding hope is difficult on some days. She is holding on to the kindness of people who have reminded her she is not alone.