Christa Pike, a Tennessee death row inmate convicted of a 1995 murder, was taken to a hospital after an attempted execution, according to her attorney. The procedure, which involved lethal injection, proceeded after the US Supreme Court vacated a stay granted by a lower federal court. The state's execution order at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville was set to expire at midnight.
What the Left Is Saying
The three liberal justices on the Supreme Court—Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Ketanji Brown Jackson—dissented from the decision to vacate the stay. In her dissent, Justice Sotomayor argued that the ruling allowed Tennessee to execute Pike before her pending legal challenges to her conviction could be properly considered.
Sotomayor wrote that Tennessee's desire to expedite Pike's execution by a few days or even weeks could not outweigh her "fundamental interest in [her] own life." Pike's legal team also highlighted the state's shifting stance on her background, noting that while Tennessee had previously argued Pike lied about childhood sexual abuse, it now conceded that she had suffered sexual abuse and rape.
Pike herself expressed remorse in her clemency petition, stating she was a "mentally ill 18-year-old kid" who intended to beat the victim, not kill her, but was unable to "put the brakes on." She said, "It sickens me now to think I had the ability to commit such a crime," acknowledging the gravity of taking someone's life and affecting many others.
What the Right Is Saying
Justice Brett Kavanaugh, a conservative, granted the application to vacate the stay of the execution without providing an explanation in the order. This decision aligned with the state's interest in carrying out the sentence within the timeframe set by the execution order, which was due to expire at midnight.
The conservative perspective emphasizes the finality of the judicial process, noting that this was the second time in two days that the Supreme Court cleared the way for Pike's execution after rejecting a different appeal from her legal team on Tuesday. Additionally, Tennessee's governor denied a clemency request submitted by Pike earlier in the week, supporting the state's move to proceed.
Witnesses from the job training camp where the victim was met have provided testimony supporting the conviction's narrative. These witnesses stated that Pike had bragged about the murder both before and after the event and showed them a piece of the victim's skull, reinforcing the severity of the crime in the eyes of the state.
What the Numbers Show
Since 1976, when the Supreme Court resumed the death penalty, only 18 women have been executed in the US, compared to 1,663 men. That's about 1% of all US executions.
At the time of her incarceration, the 21-year-old was the youngest person on death row, according to the Tennessee Department of Corrections. Pike is the only woman currently serving a sentence on Tennessee's death row.
The murder occurred in 1995 when Pike was 18 years old. She and her then-boyfriend, Tadaryl Shipp, beat, tortured and killed the 19-year-old victim, Colleen Slemmer, whom they met at a job training camp for troubled teens.
The Bottom Line
The transfer of Christa Pike to a hospital marks a significant development in a case that has spanned three decades. The legal proceedings underscore the complexity of capital punishment appeals, particularly when new information regarding a defendant's background contradicts previous state positions.
As of the latest reports, the outcome of the execution attempt and Pike's current medical status are being monitored, with her legal team continuing to pursue avenues for review of her conviction and sentence. The case continues to highlight the rare nature of female executions in the United States.