Christa Pike, a 50-year-old lady who was convicted in 1995, is expected to have been executed on Wednesday, 30 September, 2026. However, she survived two lethal injections that were intended to end her life as she served her death sentence. This case dates back decades to the murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer. 

Christa Pike was convicted of first-degree murder after she brutally murdered her friend, 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer, in January 1995 at Job corp where they worked together. The story has it that the reason for the murder was a misunderstanding over Tadaryl, who was Pike’s boyfriend. Pike heard that Colleen secretly loved her boyfriend, which was an alleged rumor, but it bitterly annoyed her, giving her the urge to murder. 

On the evening of January 12, 1995, Pike, Tadaryl, Slemmer, and another student from Job Corp left the premises and returned without Slemmer. Surprisingly, Pike returns with a piece of skull fragment and narrates to a friend about how she sliced Slemmer with a box cutter and smashed her head with asphalt. This happens after an argument where Pike gets out of control and becomes really violent. Investigations take place, and the three are interviewed, where Pike admits to how she had ended Colleen’s life brutally, giving details of how she sliced through her skin even when Colleen pleaded for mercy.

Pike’s mental health history has also featured prominently in this case. During her psychological assessment, she was reportedly identified as a bipolar and Post Traumatic Disorder (PTSD) patient after the traumatic childhood she had characterized by abuse and neglect. These issues have greatly formed part of a wider debate about her conviction and death sentence.

More than 30 years later, her scheduled execution became the latest development in this case. On 30 September, Tennessee officials attempted to execute her by lethal injection, but the procedure failed as her heart was still beating, and she was rushed to the hospital. The incident has renewed attention on the legal questions surrounding her death sentence. 

As the case continues to raise questions about justice and accountability, mental health questions remain: Should a mental illness affect a death sentence? Isn’t a 30-year sentence in prison enough for a mentally ill criminal? In consideration of her mental illness, should the court reconsider her death sentence?