May Martinez demands apology from Tennessee after failed Christa Pike execution
May Martinez traveled more than 1,400 kilometers from Orange Park, Florida, to Nashville, Tennessee, to watch Christa Pike receive a lethal injection, only to return home empty-handed after the execution failed. Pike survived two doses of pentobarbital, leaving the victim’s mother demanding an apology from the state for what she called a mockery after 30 years of waiting.
The Journey and the Failed Execution in Nashville
Pike, the only woman on Tennessee’s death row, received two doses of the lethal substance on Wednesday night. Witnesses inside the viewing area heard her breathing and snoring heavily after the curtains closed. Authorities escorted witnesses outside without explanations roughly an hour later. Martinez returned to Florida with her husband, telling local reporters that the inmate remained on the table talking, laughing, and lifting her head during the procedure. Here we are, 31 years, and they are laughing in my face again,
Martinez stated to WJXX.
When asked by reporters if any state official offered an apology for the botched procedure, Martinez answered with a flat denial. No, sir. Nobody apologized,
she said, adding that the state owes her a substantial apology. She also expressed personal anguish over the outcome, noting that as a mother, she felt she failed her daughter.
Tennessee Suspends Executions After Failed Lethal Injection
The Department Correccional de Tennessee defended the use of the lethal injection, maintaining that staff followed protocol and that procedures beyond those executed are not permitted. Governor Bill Lee acknowledged to the press that the outcome was unexpected and unacceptable, stating that nobody wanted such an event to occur. Lee ordered a third-party review of the procedure and suspended all remaining executions for the year. The head of the state prison system announced his resignation on Saturday.
Two days following the attempt, Pike remained in critical condition at a Nashville hospital, unconscious and connected to a ventilator with severe injuries to both arms from the pentobarbital. Federal defenders Stephen Ferrell and Luke Ihnen stated that medical personnel attempted to clear the drug from her system, while noting that her prognosis remains uncertain. Defense attorneys had previously warned that Pike’s medical conditions, including a blood clotting disorder and small veins, increased the risk of unnecessary pain during an execution. The defense has asked Governor Lee to commute the death sentence to life imprisonment.
History of the 1995 Case
Pike was 18 years old when she, along with her then-boyfriend Tadaryl Shipp and an accomplice named Shadolla Peterson, tortured and killed 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer near the agricultural campus of the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. The victim and her attackers worked together in a federal Job Corps program. Court records show Pike confessed to a friend that she planned to kill Slemmer simply because she felt mean that day. A jury convicted Pike of first-degree murder in 1996 and sentenced her to death, while Shipp received a life sentence with the possibility of parole and Peterson received probation in exchange for cooperation.
Martinez financed her trip to Nashville with the help of Jacksonville neighbors and acquaintances who raised more than $2,500 for travel expenses. The state has not indicated whether officials will attempt a second execution if Pike recovers from her current medical crisis, leaving the family awaiting a response on the commutation petition.