On October 10, 2026, I wrote on the social networking site Twitter (now X) about the September 30, 2026, botched execution of convicted murderer, Christa Pike, 50. On October 10, 2026, I stated the execution failed because, "They sent the two doses of pentobarbital into Christa Pike's flesh rather than her largely collapsed veins." See screencap below.

Murder victim Colleen Slemmer was killed at age 18

 Weeks later in an interview with New York Magazine on October 30, 2026, Dr. Mark Fowler, the physician who oversaw the failed execution, confirmed the two doses of pentobarbital went into Pike's arm rather than her vein. The doses went into her flesh. Hence the enormous swelling of the arms and complaints of pain from Pike, who stated her arm felt like it was going to "explode" or "burst open." Pike was in agony for hours. Ironically, her victim was in agony too when she killed her. So, there were not any tears for Pike.

Christa Pike smirking in criminal court

On January 12, 1995, when she was 18-years-old, Pike, her boyfriend, an avowed satanist named Tadaryl Shipp, 17, and another classmate, Shadolla Peterson, 18, did the unthinkable. They lured classmate Colleen Slemmer into the Tennessee woods, then Pike and Shipp tortured and killed her. Slemmer was 18-years-old. The attack was motivated by jealousy, as Pike believed Slemmer was trying to steal Shipp, which was later confirmed to be untrue.

Christa Pike's most recent mug shot

The murder was grisly and prolonged, lasting 40-minutes. Slemmer was cut with a box cutter, beaten with a meat cleaver, bashed over the head with a rock which fractured her skull, her throat slashed multiple times, and a pentagram (representing satan) carved into her chest. She had 300 stab wounds. Slemmer repeatedly pleaded with them to stop but they refused until she was dead. The murder was so brutal that nearly two decades after her mother, May Martinez, was finally sent the remaining pieces of Slemmer's skull for burial. Skull fragments had been retained as evidence in the case.

Tadaryl Shipp's mugshot as a teen

On March 30, 1996, Pike was given the death penalty. She was the youngest person at the time to receive the death penalty. Months later Shipp was sentenced to life in prison. Shipp was not given the death penalty, as he was 17-years-old and considered a minor under state law. Peterson cut a deal with prosecutors to testify against Pike and Ship, in exchange for 460 days in jail and 6-years of probation, as she helped to lure Slemmer into the woods and was the lookout.

Tadaryl Shipp's current mug shot

It has been reported that Pike's mother drank when she was pregnant, which created behavior problems. Drinking, smoking and or taking drugs while pregnant is very dangerous to the baby. Pike was neglected and abused as a child. She was raped as a toddler by her grandmother's boyfriend. She was raped at age 11 by a neighbor in a trailer park and infected with an sexually transmitted disease. Her mother's boyfriends physically assaulted her. She was raped at 17 while she was walking along a road.

Shadolla Peterson in court as an 18-year-old. Reports indicate she has since changed her name.

Due to the extensive abuse Pike developed Bipolar Disorder and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. By law she should have been removed from her home environment from the time she was a toddler, but her family kept covering up what was transpiring. At age 11 a school teacher intervened after she was raped and started showing signs of a sexually transmitted disease. The rapist was arrested and convicted. Pike needed professional help from the time she was a toddler but never received it until it was too late and she had viciously murdered an innocent girl, Slemmer.

My post on Twitter (now X) regarding Christa Pike's botched execution proved correct. A nurse would use a vein finder in a hospital setting if it becomes difficult to administer a line or injection.

Nonetheless, Pike's own words about her conduct is correct, "I had more than my fair share of trauma growing up, and I realized that so many others have that didn't commit violent crimes. I don't use that or anything else as an excuse for what I did" At the end of the day everyone must be held responsible for their conduct.

 STORY SOURCE

Doctor overseeing Christa Pike's execution confirms drugs went into arms instead of veins Pike, who was convicted of killing former classmate Colleen Slemmer in 1995 when she was just 18 years old

Published: November 2, 2026 4:04pm - The physician who oversaw Tennessee death row inmate Christa Pike's botched execution confirmed recently that the lethal injection that was meant to go into her blood stream via her veins actually went into her arm instead. Pike, who was convicted of killing former classmate Colleen Slemmer in 1995 when she was just 18 years old, claimed last week that she is in constant pain from the botched execution. The inmate's attorneys said Pike suffered from pneumonia and a blood clot, couldn't swallow, and was unable to move her arms or hands when she woke up after the attempted execution.

Dr. Mark Fowler, who served as the physician during Pike's Sept. 30 execution attempt, gave a firsthand account of the incident in an interview with New York Magazine published last week, stating that he initially believed she might be taking longer to respond to the medication. Fowler said he was called into the execution chamber after 45 minutes and gave the medication more time to work for another 30 minutes before he told the team to give her oxygen and send her to a local hospital. The doctor said the IV used to administer the pentobarbital had not been properly inserted into Pike's veins and therefore the IV was "delivering medicine to the subcutaneous tissue" of her arm.

Pike's attempted execution was not the first incident for Fowler, who was also responsible for overseeing the failed May execution of Tony Carruthers. Fowler said he attempted to place an IV near Carruthers' clavicle after paramedics were unable to establish traditional IV access, but that the procedure ultimately became too painful for the inmate. The doctor said that the state's lethal-injection protocol needs to change, stating that there should be fewer handoffs among execution team members and those responsible for placing IV lines should remain in position to monitor them as the drugs are administered...

https://justthenews.com

When Tennessee sentenced Christa Pike to death on March 30th, 1996, for a crime she committed as an eighteen-year-old, she became the youngest woman to receive a death sentence in the modern era. As the judge sentenced her to die, Christra - her face still sprinkled with adolescent acne - sobbed uncontrollably and called out for her mother...