'She won't die': Christa Pike victim's mother delivers chilling warning if Tennessee tries again

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE: The mother of Colleen Slemmer, the woman whose 1995 killing led to Christa Pike’s death sentence, has spoken out after Tennessee’s failed attempt to execute Pike left the condemned inmate conscious but in critical condition.

May Martinez reacted on Wednesday, October 7, after learning that Christa Pike had regained consciousness, raising critical questions about what comes next.

Martinez, speaking to WBIR, also addressed the intense reaction surrounding the case, including personal attacks she said she has faced online since the botched execution.

Colleen Slemmer's mother speaks out

Martinez said she had believed from the beginning that Pike would survive the execution attempt.

Asked what she wanted to happen next, Martinez did not express a firm preference.

“It doesn’t matter what I think, they’re going to do what they’re going to do,” she said.

Martinez also suggested she does not expect Tennessee to make another attempt to put Pike to death.

But if the state does proceed again, she warned that there is no guarantee the outcome would be different.

Martinez also addressed the reaction to her comments and the case. 

She said people who do not know her have targeted her on social media, including with accusations about her character and her role as Slemmer's mother.

Martinez had previously called for an apology from the state, although those demands came before Pike regained consciousness after the execution attempt.

Christa Pike remains critical after failed execution

Pike's attorneys said on Wednesday that she was conscious and able to speak, although she remained under intensive medical care following last week's failed lethal-injection procedure.

According to her legal team, Pike suffered serious injuries to her arms and faces what they described as a lengthy and uncertain recovery.

They said her medical prognosis remains unclear.

The lawyers have urged Tennessee Gov Bill Lee to change Pike’s sentence from death to life imprisonment without parole.

They also thanked hospital staff and first responders for treating Pike during the aftermath of the failed execution, while acknowledging the international messages of support that had reached the inmate.

Pike's legal team has continued to argue that her history and the circumstances surrounding the execution should be taken into account.

In their latest statement, her lawyers described Pike as someone who had endured severe trauma during childhood and decades of confinement.

They also said that they had warned Tennessee officials beforehand about difficulties involving her veins.