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Capital punishment is surging in the US – but after Christa Pike’s botched execution, what is its future?

the GuardianEnglish

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Trump has used the full might of the presidency to supercharge executions, but an avalanche of mishaps has put the system’s flaws in the spotlight

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Section: News
By: Ed Pilkington
Published: Oct 11, 2026, 5:00 AM UTC
Updated: Oct 12, 2026, 10:44 AM UTC

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Pike survived two doses of the lethal drug pentobarbital as the state sought to execute her for the 1995 murder of classmate Colleen Slemmer.

NewsweekChrista Pike Released From Hospital After Botched Execution

Americans have long been divided over executing the nation’s worst criminals

AOL.comA botched execution and plans for one in public show the US is conflicted about capital punishment

Christa Pike, 50, has been discharged from hospital and returned to the Tennessee prison where she is serving a death sentence after surviving a failed lethal injection on 30 September, her lawyers said on Saturday. Pike is continuing to receive medical treatment in prison following the failed execution, which left…

Mwakilishi.comDeath Row Inmate Christa Pike Discharged From Hospital After Failed Execution

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#capital #punishment #surging #christa #pike #christa pike,capital punishment,us news

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Christa Pike

American murderer on death row (born 1976)

Christa Gail Pike is an American convicted murderer on death row in Tennessee. In 1995, when she was 18, Pike and her boyfriend lured their 19-year-old classmate Colleen Slemmer into a wooded area in Knoxville where they tortured and killed her. Slemmer was beaten, slashed, and had a pentagram carved in her chest before Pike killed her by crushing her skull. Pike was arrested within two days and sentenced to death in 1996 at the age of 20, making her one of the youngest women to receive a death sentence in the United States during the post-Furman period.

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Reverend with personal connection to death penalty reflects on trauma following Christa Pike’s failed executionWATE 6 On Your Side2 days ago
Christa Pike Released From Hospital After Botched ExecutionNewsweek2 days ago
A botched execution and plans for one in public show the US is conflicted about capital punishmentAOL.com3 days ago
President Donald Trump floated expanding capital punishmentWonderwall3 days ago
Death Row Inmate Christa Pike Discharged From Hospital After Failed ExecutionMwakilishi.com2 days ago

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the Guardian

Country: United Kingdom
Language: English

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Capital punishment is surging in the US – but after Christa Pike’s botched execution, what is its future?

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