Christa Pike in critical condition day after surviving two lethal injections, lawyers say

Published October 1, 2026 4:34pm ET



The lawyers for a Tennessee woman who survived an execution attempt told reporters on Thursday that she was still alive and receiving care in critical condition.

Christa Pike, 50, was convicted on first-degree murder and conspiracy charges and sentenced to death in 1996, when she was 20. She was convicted and sentenced for murdering her classmate, Colleen Slemmer, when she was 18, alongside Pike’s then-17-year-old boyfriend, Tadaryl Shipp, who was sentenced to life in prison.

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