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Christa Pike’s botched execution is a reminder of the horror of the death penalty | Moira Donegan

the GuardianEnglish

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Lethal injection was a way for us to deny the reality of capital punishment. Pike’s experience shows us what it is

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Section: Opinion
By: Moira Donegan
Published: Oct 9, 2026, 10:00 AM UTC
Updated: Oct 9, 2026, 10:02 AM UTC

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#christa #pike #botched #execution #reminder

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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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Christa Pike’s botched execution is a reminder of the horror of the death penaltyinkl43 hr. ago
Christa Pike is walking with help and eating after failed execution attempt, her attorneys sayThe Boston Globe2 days ago
Christa Pike’s Lawyer Says She’s ‘Angry and Confused’The Cut40 hr. ago
Christa Pike feared 'scary' pain from lethal injection before botched executionBristol LiveUnited Kingdom33 hr. ago
Terrorist to be executed on LIVESTREAM after Christa Pike's botched executionThe Sun2 days ago
Deathrow killer Christa Pike faces grim new execution method - horror health update issuedDaily ExpressUnited Kingdom3 days ago

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Language: English

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Christa Pike’s botched execution is a reminder of the horror of the death penalty | Moira Donegan

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