Christa Pike was only minutes into Tennessee’s attempt to execute her when she reportedly raised her head and questioned whether what she was feeling in her arm was normal.
According to media witnesses inside Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville, Pike remained awake after the lethal injection process began and complained about discomfort in her arm. Associated Press reporters confirmed that she asked prison officials whether her arm was supposed to feel that way, though it was not clear exactly what sensation she was referring to.
What followed was an extraordinary and deeply troubled execution attempt that stretched for more than two hours and ultimately failed.
Pike, 50, had been scheduled to die by lethal injection for the 1995 killing of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer. She committed the crime when she was 18 and had spent roughly three decades on Tennessee’s death row.
The execution had already been thrown into uncertainty earlier on September 30 when the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit temporarily halted it. Pike’s attorneys had argued that her history of childhood sexual abuse and neglect had not been adequately considered during the sentencing phase of her case.
Hours later, the U.S. Supreme Court vacated that stay, clearing the way for Tennessee to continue with the execution.
By the time the curtain to the execution chamber opened at approximately 7:27 p.m., Pike was strapped to a gurney and preparing to give what were expected to be her final words.
She said:
“I’m going to leave this world the way I spent most of my life and that is in love.” Continue Reading ⬇️