Christa Pike May Not Fully Recover After Botched Execution, Says Lawyer

Christa Pike May Not Fully Recover After Botched Execution

Christa Pike, who has spent more than three decades in prison for the 1995 murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer, may not fully recover following a botched execution, according to her lawyer. At the time of the murder, Christa was 18, and according to her, Colleen had reportedly insulted her and tried to steal her then-boyfriend, Tadaryl Shipp.

Christa was scheduled to be executed on September 30, 2026, at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville. The execution went wrong after she was administered two doses of pentobarbital, leading to her transfer to an undisclosed hospital in critical condition.

Christa Pike is still hospitalized and remains on a ventilator

Christa Pike was admitted to a Nashville-area hospital on the night of September 30, 2026. Her attorney, Stephen Ferrell, revealed that she remains "critically ill." Speaking to Jake Tapper on CNN, Ferrell shared that Christa is still hospitalized and remains on a ventilator. Ferrell also noted that her hospital room is under security, preventing him from meeting her.