Colleen Slemmer's Mother, May Martinez, Feels She Failed Her Daughter Following Christa Pike's Botched Execution

Colleen Slemmer's Mom, May Martinez, Says She Felt She Had Failed Her Daughter After Christa Pike's Failed Execution

Christa Pike has been making headlines after her scheduled execution on September 30, 2026, failed. Christa was 18 when she, along with her then-boyfriend Tadaryl Shipp and their friend Shadolla Peterson, lured 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer to a remote area of the University of Tennessee’s agricultural campus, where Pike and Tadaryl murdered Colleen with a box cutter.

Christa, now 50, has spent over three decades behind bars for the 1995 killing. Following the failed execution, Colleen’s mother, May Martinez, expressed her feelings about delayed justice. Speaking to PEOPLE, May stated: "The whole thing yesterday was supposed to be my justice, but I guess I failed my daughter."