Christa Pike: What Happened Inside the Execution Chamber

The state of Tennessee attempted to execute Christa Pike on September 30, 2026, and failed. Pike received two doses of pentobarbital and survived both. Witnesses reported her breathing, complaining her arm felt like it was about to burst, and snoring on the gurney. Corrections officials stopped the procedure and called an ambulance. Governor Bill Lee halted all executions in Tennessee and ordered a third-party review. Pike brutally murdered 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer at a Knoxville Job Corps center in January 1995 — carving a pentagram into her chest and keeping a piece of her skull. Slemmer’s family has waited more than 31 years. Instead of closure, they watched the system collapse in front of them. The failure raises a question Tennessee cannot avoid: incompetence, or something more deliberate?

Listen Anywhere You Get Podcasts: https://pod.link/1655749292

Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspod?sub_confirmation=1

Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/

Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod

X Twitter https://x.com/tonybpod

This publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.

#ChristaPike #ColleenSlemmer #HiddenKillers #TrueCrime #BotchedExecution #Tennessee #DeathPenalty #LethalInjection #GovernorLee #Justice