Colleen Slemmer’s Mother Speaks After Christa Pike Survives Failed Execution

For more than three decades, May Martinez has carried the memory of her daughter, Colleen Slemmer, who was murdered in Tennessee in 1995.

On September 30, Martinez traveled from Florida to Nashville with her husband, Raul, expecting to witness the execution of Christa Pike, the woman convicted of killing her daughter.

Instead, she watched as Tennessee’s lethal-injection procedure failed.

Pike survived after prison medical staff administered two doses of pentobarbital. She was later transported to a hospital in critical condition, while Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee ordered a review of the state’s execution procedures and halted the state’s next scheduled execution.

A 31-Year Wait Ends in an Unexpected Outcome

Martinez and her husband drove approximately 11 hours from their home in Florida to Nashville for the execution.

According to Martinez, they arrived at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution around 8:30 a.m. on September 30 and were placed in a viewing room.

The execution was originally expected to take place at 10 a.m., but last-minute legal proceedings delayed the process for several hours.

The U.S. Supreme Court eventually allowed Tennessee to proceed, and the execution began that evening.

Martinez told PEOPLE that she remained focused on Pike throughout the procedure.

She said she did not take her eyes off Pike as the execution unfolded.

But the procedure did not produce the expected result.

Two Doses Were Administered

Tennessee officials attempted to administer pentobarbital twice.

According to reports, Pike appeared to lose consciousness but continued breathing. Witnesses also reported movement and breathing sounds during the prolonged procedure.

Eventually, the execution was stopped and Pike was transported to a hospital.

Her attorneys later said she was unconscious and in critical condition. They also raised questions about the placement of intravenous lines and the circumstances surrounding the administration of the drugs.

The Tennessee Department of Correction has said its execution protocol was followed.

Governor Bill Lee subsequently ordered an independent investigation into what happened.

“I Did Not Take My Eyes Off Her”

Speaking to PEOPLE after the failed execution, Martinez described remaining focused on Pike during the procedure.

She said she wanted Pike to remember Colleen and the consequences of what happened to her daughter.

Martinez and her husband were later taken to another room, where they waited for information about Pike’s condition.

According to Martinez, officials told them only that Pike had been taken to a hospital and that they did not know whether she would survive.

ABC News also reported that Martinez said she broke down in tears after witnessing what happened.

She said she believed the state owed her an apology for the way the execution unfolded.

The Murder of Colleen Slemmer

Slemmer was 19 when she was killed in Knoxville in January 1995.

She had moved to Tennessee to attend a Job Corps program and was interested in computer science. Her mother has described her as an easygoing young woman who worked with autistic and disabled children.

Pike, who was 18 at the time, was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death.

According to court records and prosecutors’ evidence, Pike and her then-boyfriend, Tadaryl Shipp, attacked Slemmer in a wooded area.

Slemmer was beaten and cut with a box cutter. Prosecutors also presented evidence that a pentagram was carved into her body and that part of her skull was removed after the killing.

Shipp was 17 at the time and ultimately received a different sentence because of his age.

Martinez Says She Has Not Found Closure

The failed execution has left Martinez facing another period of uncertainty.

For years, she had expected September 30 to mark the end of a painful chapter. Instead, Pike survived the attempt and remains hospitalized.

Martinez told PEOPLE that she does not know whether she would return to Tennessee if another execution is eventually scheduled.

She also said she continues to struggle with the feeling that her daughter has not received the justice she had spent decades expecting.

Her comments reflect the deeply personal impact of the case, separate from the legal and procedural questions now facing Tennessee.

Tennessee Suspends Executions

Following the failed execution, Gov. Bill Lee canceled Tennessee’s next scheduled execution and ordered a comprehensive third-party investigation.

The review is expected to examine what happened during Pike’s execution and whether the state’s existing procedures were properly followed.

The incident has also renewed scrutiny of Tennessee’s execution practices. Earlier in 2026, the state halted another execution after medical personnel were unable to establish the necessary intravenous access.

For Martinez, however, the issue remains personal.

Her daughter died more than three decades ago.

The execution that she traveled hundreds of miles to witness did not end as she expected.

And with Pike still alive, the legal and emotional questions surrounding the case remain unresolved.