Christa Pike reports constant pain after surviving Tennessee lethal injection

Christa Pike said Friday that she has experienced constant pain every moment since surviving a failed lethal injection in Tennessee last month. The 50-year-old inmate described physical suffering in her body, arms, hands, and throat. She added that the pain extends to her mind and soul.

Pike made the remarks in her first public statement since the execution. The statement was dictated to her legal team from a prison hospital. She said she was deeply hurt by the incompetence that placed so many people in a terrible position. Pike also spoke about the family of her victim, Colleen Slemmer, noting the pain and loss they endured.

In 1995, Pike and her boyfriend tortured and stabbed Slemmer, a 19-year-old classmate, to death. Pike was 18 at the time of the crime. Slemmer’s mother traveled from Florida to witness Pike’s execution.

Pike’s lawyers argue that two doses of pentobarbital did not enter her bloodstream correctly. They said the drug pooled in her arms, causing burns and blisters. Pike was unconscious on a ventilator for days. Her lawyers stated at one point that they did not expect her to survive. Pike said she woke up alone and confused in a hospital bed. She described herself as searching for meaning in the event.

Pike remains sentenced to die. Her attorneys want Tennessee Governor Bill Lee to commute the sentence to life in prison. Lee told reporters this week that he suspects the sentence will remain the same unless courts determine otherwise. The governor appointed a former U.S. attorney to conduct an independent review of the failed execution. He also postponed the state’s other lethal injection scheduled for this year.

The execution faced technical difficulties. Pike’s attorney, Randy Spivey, noted that her small veins and a blood-clotting disorder made IV access difficult. A court document stated that the execution team struggled to get working IV lines and expressed concern that a vein might be blowing. Pike remained awake for much of the process. She reported that her arm hurt and burned before she fell unconscious. The injection began just before 7:30 p.m. An ambulance arrived at the prison about an hour and 45 minutes later.

A 2025 deposition released with court documents this week revealed that prison Warden Kenneth Nelson said the execution team does not practice inserting IV lines during training. Nelson stated that a prison commissioner directed the change. He said he did not know why the practice was discontinued or when the order was given. Frank Strada, commissioner of the Department of Correction, announced his resignation following the incident. His final day is October 31.