Christa Pike survived the state’s attempt to execute her. Colleen Slemmer’s family is left asking what justice looks like now.

Updated October 6, 2026

NASHVILLE, Tenn. Tennessee set out to carry out a death sentence on September 30. Hours later, the condemned woman was in an ambulance.

Christa Pike, 50, was given two doses of pentobarbital at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution, then sent to a hospital for lifesaving treatment.[1] As of Tuesday, her attorneys say she is conscious and speaking, though she still needs critical care.[4] The state has not carried out the sentence imposed in 1996.[1]

For the family of the young woman Pike was convicted of killing, the night brought something no one prepared them for.

First, remember Colleen

Colleen Slemmer was 19 when she was killed in Knoxville on January 12, 1995. She had met Pike and Pike’s boyfriend, Tadaryl Shipp, through a job-training program. Both were convicted in connection with her death. Pike, then 18, was sentenced to death in 1996.[1]

Colleen’s mother, May Martinez, spent decades waiting for this sentence to be carried out. After watching the attempt, she summed it up for NBC News in four words: “It was a mess.” She also said the family was not told in advance that Pike was being taken to a hospital and learned of it only afterward.[1]

Her grief is not a footnote to this story. It is the reason the story matters.

What witnesses reported

After last-minute litigation, the U.S. Supreme Court allowed the execution to go forward.[1] Media witnesses described a procedure that did not go as planned:

• Pike lifted her head and asked whether her arm was supposed to feel the way it did.
• Reporters described gasping, snoring, complaints of pain, and repeated foot movements.
• By 8:26 p.m., a second dose had reportedly been given.
• At 8:53 p.m., the microphone was cut and media witnesses were escorted out.[1]

Pike’s attorneys then sought emergency intervention and medical care, and she was taken from the prison by ambulance.[2]

The state’s response

The Tennessee Department of Correction says it followed every step of its established, lawful protocol. Gov. Bill Lee has ordered an independent review and said the remaining execution scheduled this year will not proceed as planned.[2]

The BBC, citing the Associated Press, reports that the protocol provides a backup set of syringes if the first set fails, but does not say what happens if the prisoner survives the second.[2]

The cause of what went wrong is still unresolved. Pike’s lawyers have raised concerns about vein access and the drug. The state maintains it followed procedure. Those are competing claims, not findings.[2]

Can Tennessee try again?

The law doesn’t settle the question as cleanly as many assume. In Louisiana ex rel. Francis v. Resweber (1947), the Supreme Court allowed a second attempt to execute Willie Francis after an electric chair malfunction.[5] Legal experts will debate whether that ruling controls here, since the facts and the method are different.

The case for trying again: The sentence was lawfully imposed and remains unfulfilled. A failed procedure, supporters argue, shouldn’t undo a court’s judgment, and a grieving family shouldn’t be made to wait yet again.

The case against: A death sentence shouldn’t open the door to repeated, potentially agonizing attempts until the state gets the result it wanted. Critics say any further attempt should require an independent investigation, a full medical assessment, public accountability, and fresh court review. Some say commutation to life in prison deserves serious consideration.

Pike’s attorneys have also argued that her age at the time of the crime, her mental illness, and a history of childhood sexual abuse warranted more weight.[2] Those arguments concern punishment, not what happened to Colleen. They do not diminish her loss.

Both things can be true

Colleen Slemmer’s killing was a devastating crime, and her family’s pain is real and ongoing. The way a state carries out its most serious power also deserves scrutiny. Holding the state to account doesn’t dishonor the victim, and neither does asking hard questions about the process.

For now, Pike is alive and under medical care, the governor’s review is underway, and a mother who waited decades for an ending has been given another wait.

1. Associated Press / NBC San Diego, “Court halts execution of Christa Gail Pike…” (Sept. 30–Oct. 1, 2026). Witness accounts, timeline, Supreme Court action, Slemmer case background, and May Martinez’s comments. https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/national-international/court-halts-execution-christa-gail-pike-tennessee-murder-teens/4080641/
2. BBC News, Sareen Habeshian, “US death row inmate survives execution attempt after two lethal injections” (Sept. 30, 2026). Emergency filings, protocol gaps, the state’s response, Gov. Lee’s review, and the defense’s arguments. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cq8r6rjdvlx6o
3. CBS News, Emily Mae Czachor, “Christa Pike surviving her execution was ‘unparalleled'” (updated Oct. 2, 2026). Context on prior failed executions and Tennessee’s procedures. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/christa-pike-botched-execution-lethal-injection/
4. ABC News, “Christa Pike conscious, speaking after botched execution, attorneys say” (Oct. 6, 2026). Latest condition update, attributed to her attorneys. https://abcnews.com/US/christa-pike-conscious-speaking-after-botched-execution-attorneys/story?id=137039461
5. U.S. Supreme Court, Louisiana ex rel. Francis v. Resweber, 329 U.S. 459 (1947), via Justia. https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/329/459/