Several witnesses gathered to watch death row inmate Christa Pike receive a lethal injection, including her victim Colleen Slemmer’s mother. However, the experience had a shocking conclusion when Pike survived getting two lethal injections, which left Slemmer’s grieving family in shock.
After watching Pike, 50, survive the lethal injections on Wednesday, September 30, Slemmer’s mother, May Martinez, told People that she and her husband, Raul, had driven 11 hours from Florida to Tennessee to attend Pike’s execution at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville.
“I stood in front of that window, and I watched her very, very carefully. I did not take my eyes off of her,” May said of Pike. “I wanted her to remember who Colleen was and what they’ve done and never forget that thought, no matter where she goes.”
After both lethal injections failed to kill Pike, Martinez said that she and Raul were taken into another room. They waited over an hour to speak with the commissioner, who she claimed provided little information.
Martinez recalled being told Pike “was taken to the hospital,” but the commissioner said he “doesn’t know much about the drugs and if she was going to be alive or dead.”
The couple then admitted they did not understand what went wrong.
“It was a complete waste of time. I don’t know. It sounds cruel, but how do you botch up killing somebody?” Raul asked. “It’s unheard of.”
He also pointed out that Tennessee only uses one drug in its lethal injection, which differs from other states that commonly use three drugs.
Martinez also spoke to the outlet about her belief that her daughter’s killer should be dead. “She has no remorse. She’s never had any remorse in 31 years,” she explained.
The mother then said that Pike never apologized to her for killing Slemmer, 19, in 1995.
Following the failed execution, Martinez said she was having a hard time coming to terms with the situation and wondered whether she would ever get closure. “We can’t get justice for my daughter,” she said.
After the injections failed, Pike was taken to a nearby hospital. On Thursday, October 1, a lawyer for the convicted killer said, “Christa is critically ill but not in a coma as I understand it.”
The attorney added that she is still unconscious and unable to communicate.
The incident led Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee to halt executions until a third party could look into what went wrong.
“Carrying out a lawfully imposed sentence is among the State’s most serious responsibilities, and the people of Tennessee expect it to be done in a manner that is not only legal and constitutional, but is effective,” Lee said in a statement. “Therefore, the remaining scheduled execution will not be carried out this year.”
