The mother of a woman murdered by death row inmate Christa Pike has spoken publicly after Tennessee’s attempt to execute the convicted killer ended in an extraordinary failure.
May Martinez travelled from Florida to witness Pike’s execution. Pike was convicted for her involvement in the brutal 1995 murder of Martinez’s daughter, Colleen Slemmer.
However, on September 30, 2026, the planned lethal injection was stopped after Pike survived two doses of the execution drug and was rushed to hospital in critical condition.
The incident has since prompted an investigation into Tennessee’s execution procedures, legal challenges and questions about whether officials will ever attempt to execute Pike again.
Martinez first addressed the situation publicly in October, discussing both her daughter’s murder and the reaction she had received after the execution attempt failed.
Meanwhile, Pike’s attorneys have continued challenging the circumstances surrounding the procedure, claiming their client suffered serious injuries that could have lasting effects.
Christa Pike’s Condition After Surviving Two Lethal Injections
Pike’s legal team confirmed in early October that she had regained consciousness and could speak after spending several days unconscious in hospital.
However, her recovery was complicated and uncertain.
Her attorneys initially described her condition as critical, explaining that she had sustained significant injuries to her arms and faced a lengthy recovery.
They also revealed that she had developed pneumonia, experienced a blood clot in one arm and temporarily lost the ability to swallow or move her arms and hands.
At one point, her lawyers said they feared she might not survive.
Pike eventually managed to take a few steps with assistance. Her legal team later reported improvements in her ability to walk, eat and use her arms.
She was released from hospital on October 10 and returned to the Debra K. Johnson Rehabilitation Center in Nashville, where she had been held before the scheduled execution.
However, her physical injuries were not the only concern.
In her first public statement following the incident, released on October 30, Pike described experiencing constant pain and struggling with the psychological effects of waking up in hospital after believing she was about to die.
She said: “There hasn’t been a moment since that night when I haven’t been in pain. My body hurts. My arms hurt. My hands hurt. My throat hurts. I still struggle to speak.”
She also explained that the experience had affected her emotionally as well as physically.
Pike acknowledged the suffering of the victim’s relatives, adding: “I continue to think about my victim’s family and the terrible pain and loss they have endured.”
Tennessee Faces Growing Scrutiny Over Execution Procedure
The unsuccessful execution has raised serious questions about the methods Tennessee officials used to carry out the lethal injection.
Pike’s attorneys had previously warned that her small veins and diagnosis of thrombocytosis, a blood-clotting disorder, could make it difficult to establish intravenous access.
According to a court declaration from attorney Randy Spivey, the execution team experienced difficulties establishing functioning IV lines.
Pike reportedly remained conscious for much of the procedure, complaining that her arm was hurting and burning before eventually losing consciousness.
Her lawyers believe the pentobarbital may have entered the surrounding tissue instead of her bloodstream, potentially explaining why the injections did not produce the intended result.
A court subsequently ordered Tennessee officials to preserve evidence connected to the execution. This included the drugs, syringes, IV equipment, recordings, photographs and relevant communications.
The investigation also brought attention to questions about the execution team’s training.
During a 2025 deposition, former warden Kenneth Nelson said the team had stopped practising IV insertion during training sessions following a directive from the prison commissioner.
Practising the procedure had been part of Tennessee’s previous execution protocol but was removed from the updated version.
More recently, a separate report published on November 4 raised additional concerns about the physician selected to oversee Pike’s execution.
Dr. Mark Fowler had also participated in the unsuccessful execution attempt involving Tony Carruthers in May 2026.
During that earlier procedure, Fowler and a three-member IV team reportedly spent more than an hour attempting to establish two IV lines before officials abandoned the execution.
In a 2025 deposition, Fowler said he had not inserted a central IV line since 2013 and no longer held the relevant hospital privileges.
An expert declaration referenced in the report questioned whether he possessed the experience and training necessary to perform the procedure according to current medical standards.
Fowler later reportedly blamed Pike’s failed execution on an incorrectly positioned IV.
Following the incident, Tennessee Department of Correction Commissioner Frank Strada resigned, with Christopher Hansen appointed as interim commissioner.
Governor Bill Lee also ordered an independent investigation led by former US Attorney Ed Stanton and suspended the state’s remaining scheduled execution for 2026.
Pike’s Lawyers Continue Fighting Her Death Sentence
Pike’s legal team has asked Governor Lee to commute her death sentence to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
However, the governor has indicated that he does not intend to change her punishment unless the courts reach a different decision.
Discussing Pike’s sentence, Lee said: “I suspect her sentence will be the same as before unless determined otherwise by the courts.”
Her attorneys have also continued challenging the legality of Tennessee’s lethal-injection procedure.
In October, a judge ordered the state to preserve evidence from the failed execution. A separate ruling also allowed Pike’s legal challenge to the execution method to be reopened.
These court decisions do not overturn her conviction or death sentence, but they could have important implications for any future attempt to carry out the punishment.
Pike’s attorneys have also raised concerns about her treatment after she returned to prison.
They argued that placing her back in isolation inside the prison infirmary violated a 2024 agreement that had ended her largely solitary confinement and allowed her to interact with other women.
Pike said she had been left without meaningful contact with other prisoners, while her lawyers warned that the isolation could cause additional psychological harm.
For now, she remains on death row, with no new execution date announced.
Colleen Slemmer’s Mother Speaks Out After Failed Execution
Martinez travelled to Tennessee to witness Pike’s scheduled execution, more than three decades after her daughter was murdered.
Colleen was just 19 when she was killed in Knoxville in 1995. Pike was 18 at the time and was convicted alongside her boyfriend, Tadaryl Shipp, in connection with the crime.
The teenager was lured into a wooded area before being beaten and tortured. Pike was subsequently sentenced to death, becoming the only woman on Tennessee’s death row.
Martinez had expected the state to carry out the sentence on September 30. However, the execution did not proceed as planned.
Pike received two doses of pentobarbital, the drug used in Tennessee’s lethal-injection procedure, but survived.
Her attorneys later described serious problems with establishing intravenous access. Pike reportedly complained about pain and burning in her arms before eventually losing consciousness.
She was subsequently taken to hospital by ambulance, where she remained in critical condition.
Speaking to WBIR, Martinez said she had believed from the beginning that Pike would survive the execution attempt.
When asked what she wanted to happen next, she responded: “It doesn’t matter what I think, they’re going to do what they’re going to do.”
Martinez also indicated that she did not expect Tennessee to make another attempt to execute Pike.
However, she made clear that she did not believe another attempt would necessarily produce a different result.
May Martinez Addresses Online Attacks
The mother also discussed the reaction she had received following the failed execution, revealing that strangers on social media had directed personal attacks towards her.
According to Martinez, people who did not know her had questioned her character and made accusations about her role as a mother.
The comments emerged as the case attracted widespread attention, with people debating both the unsuccessful execution and what should happen to Pike.
Martinez had previously called on the state to issue an apology following the incident.
Her demand came before Pike regained consciousness, with the inmate’s recovery adding another unexpected development to an already unusual case.
Despite having spent decades coping with the loss of her daughter, Martinez also found herself at the centre of online discussions.
May Martinez’s Chilling Warning If Tennessee Tries Again
Although Tennessee could potentially attempt to carry out Pike’s sentence in the future, Martinez has made clear that she does not believe another attempt would necessarily end differently.
During her October interview with WBIR, she explained that she had expected Pike to survive from the beginning.
Her remarks suggested that she did not anticipate another execution attempt. However, she also warned that there was no guarantee a second procedure would succeed where the first had failed.
Her comments come as Tennessee faces increasing scrutiny over its execution procedures, with an independent investigation examining what happened inside the execution chamber.
Martinez has repeatedly made clear that the case remains deeply personal to her after losing her 19-year-old daughter in a brutal killing more than 30 years ago.
Pike, meanwhile, continues to face a death sentence while her attorneys pursue legal challenges and request clemency.
Whether Tennessee will ever schedule another execution attempt remains uncertain. For now, the state has paused executions for the remainder of 2026 while the legal proceedings and independent investigations continue.
I spoke with Colleen Slemmer’s mother, May Martinez, after she traveled to Tennessee expecting to witness Christa Pike’s execution.
Instead, Pike survived the execution attempt after complications during the lethal-injection process. May called me on her way home to Florida. https://t.co/YKvd1cS9KJ
— Anthony Austin (@AnthonyReports) October 2, 2026
