Christa Pike, a death row inmate convicted of the brutal murder of Colleen Slemmer in January 1995, survived a botched execution attempt on Wednesday after two doses of lethal injection failed to kill her. The failed procedure has prompted the victim's mother, May Slemmer, to reveal she came close to seeking justice herself after watching the ordeal unfold.
Failed Execution and Aftermath
Pike was scheduled to be put to death on Wednesday, but the execution ended in controversy when two doses of lethal injection did not prove fatal. She remains unresponsive, though she is not in a coma, and her attorney has claimed she was subjected to seven needle insertions during the procedure.
Had the execution gone ahead as planned, Pike would have become the first woman executed in Tennessee in more than 200 years. In what were intended to be her final words, Pike stated: "I'm going to leave this world the way I spent most of my life - and that is with love."
Health Status and Trial Details
Pike remains alive and in critical condition after being administered two full doses of pentobarbital, a drug normally used in lethal injections. She is currently receiving intensive medical care following the failed procedure.
During Pike's 1996 trial, prosecutors said she and her boyfriend carried out the attack, with evidence showing a pentagram had been carved into Slemmer's chest. The court also heard claims that Pike kept a fragment of the victim's skull as a trophy after the killing.
Victim's Mother Reacts
Speaking to PEOPLE while travelling back to Florida from Tennessee, May Slemmer said the failed execution left her overwhelmed with anger, revealing that she had come close to taking matters into her own hands. Reflecting on the ordeal, she said she wanted to inflict the same suffering on Christa Pike that had been inflicted on her daughter.
May described the lasting pain of losing Colleen Slemmer, saying more than three decades of treasured moments had been taken from her. She spoke of the birthdays, holidays and Mother's Days that her daughter never got to share with the family. She also said she had been informed that Pike was being held in a hospital bed under constant guard from law enforcement officers following the failed execution attempt.
Asked how she felt in the aftermath of witnessing the procedure go wrong, May gave a blunt response, saying she still wanted Pike dead.
