Christa Pike survived a lethal injection attempt in Nashville on September 30, 2023, after the prison’s drug protocol failed and left her in severe pain.
The incident marked the first time a woman was slated for execution in Tennessee in more than two centuries. Pike, 50, had faced the death chamber with a calm that belied the horror she would later describe.
Pike’s legal team released a statement that she has endured constant pain in her arms, throat and mind, adding that the experience has shaken her physically and psychologically.
She also addressed the family of 19‑year‑old Colleen Slemmer, whom she killed in 1995, saying the tragedy had left a lasting wound in the community.
After a ten‑day hospital stay, Pike was returned to the Tennessee State Prison in Nashville. Prosecutors are now weighing whether to pursue a second execution, with a hearing slated for early next month.