Death Row Inmate Christa Pike Still ‘Alive And Snoring’ After Failed Execution

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Christa Pike, the only woman on Tennessee’s death row, has survived an attempt to execute her. The capital punishment was temporarily stayed earlier in the day, but the U.S. Supreme Court later cleared the way for the state to proceed.

Pike became the youngest woman in Tennessee to receive a death sentence for killing Colleen Slemmer at 18 years old. Nearly three decades later, her execution took an unexpected turn when the lethal injection failed to end her life, leaving her in need of medical attention.

Christa Pike’s Execution Proceeded After Temporary Stay

Tennessee death row inmate Christa Pike’s execution was scheduled to take place on September 30 at 10:00 a.m. CDT, but a temporary stay was granted less than two hours before the set time, as The Blast reported.

That same evening, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3, with the majority voting to vacate the temporary stay and allow the state to proceed as scheduled. Prison officials attempted to carry out the execution before the death warrant expired at midnight.

Many states still follow the three-drug protocol for lethal injections, which involves three doses: an anesthetic or sedative to induce unconsciousness, a muscle relaxant to stop the respiratory function, and a final drug that will result in cardiac arrest.

Some jurisdictions such as Tennessee, however, transitioned to a single-substance injection for carrying out executions, with a secondary dose prepared for backup.

Christa Pike Survived Two Doses Of The Drug

By 8:26 p.m., two doses of the lethal drug had already been administered to Pike, but she was still alive. It wasn’t immediately clear what caused the failed execution.

The drug used, pentobarbital, is a short-acting barbiturate that slows down brain activity and calms the nervous system. “When you’re given an overdose of that, it will ultimately suppress breath and kill you,” Death Penalty Information Center (DPIC) Executive Director Robin Maher said in 2024.

Per the emergency motion Pike’s lawyers submitted, she was still “alive and snoring” after two supposedly lethal doses of the drug, adding that she still had a heartbeat and was conscious.

• Christa Pike said she felt a “kinship” with Lindsay Clancy.
• Lindsay Clancy’s defense team wants the court to find her not guilty.
• Clancy case’s holdout juror saw a “mountain of evidence” against her.
• Bryan Kohberger was in favor of capital punishment but pleaded guilty in exchange for removing the death penalty in his case.
• An “American Idol” alum was found guilty of murdering his wife.

Witnesses Desribe The Death Row Inmate’s Failed Execution

Reporters and journalists present for the execution described what unfolded. Before the procedure began, Pike said she was “at peace” and sang a song with her spiritual adviser.

After the first dose, Pike reportedly asked whether the process had begun. One journalist said she heard the inmate say it felt like her arm was “about to burst open” and asked whether it was supposed to feel that way. The curtain to the media room was reportedly shut afterward, and some reported hearing breathing and loud snoring, per NBC News.

The second failed injection prompted Pike’s attorneys to file an emergency motion to halt the process, citing that the botched execution violated their client’s right against cruel punishment. Pike was reportedly brought to an off-site hospital for medical care, but her condition remains unclear as of writing.

Prison Officials Say They Followed Protocol

Officials at the Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville did not address reporters following the failed execution, but later released a statement declaring that they followed “every step” of the lethal injection procedures.

A month before the execution, Pike’s lawyers asked for an alternative method, preferably an all-female firing squad, arguing that their client has small veins and suffers from a blood disorder that may make it difficult to establish an IV line. However, the request was denied.

“We take no pleasure in being right, but the concerns raised by Ms. Pike proved to be true: difficult vein access, blown veins, degraded pentobarbital, no emergency medical care available when things inevitably go wrong, all under a protocol that remains veiled in secrecy,” Pike’s lawyers said in a statement, according to The New York Times.

The Murder Of Colleen Slemmer

Pike was a victim of abuse and neglect in her childhood, and at 18 years old, she entered Job Corps, an institution for troubled youth. In 1995, she killed a fellow student, 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer, due to jealousy over her boyfriend, Tadaryl Shipp.

Pike lured Slemmer into a wooded area under the guise of repairing their relationship, and it was there that she and Shipp beat and tortured the teen before killing her. Slemmer suffered severe blunt- and sharp-force injuries, including a pentagram carved into her chest. She died from a fatal blow to the head that crushed her skull.

Shipp was just 17 years old when the crime occurred, which made him ineligible for the death penalty. He is still in prison, serving a life sentence with the possibility of parole. Pike was sentenced to death and was given an additional 25 years for a conspiracy charge.

Pike’s friend, Shadolla Peterson, who acted as their lookout but was not involved in the murder, struck a deal with prosecutors and testified against the two. She avoided jail time and received probation.

In a letter written before her execution date, Pike said she was not afraid to die but was “nervous about the process.”

The Death Row Inmate Christa Pike Still ‘Alive And Snoring’ After Failed Execution first appeared on The Blast