Christa Pike's Victim's Mother Speaks Out After Convicted Murderer Wakes Up From Botched Execution
The mother of Christa Pike's victim shared her opinion after the death row inmate survived lethal injection.
Oct. 7 2026, Updated 9:06 a.m. ET
The mother of Christa Pike's victim has shared her opinions on the convicted killer's botched execution, Breaking Celebrity News can reveal.
May Martinez – whose 19-year-old daughter, Colleen Slemmer, was brutally murdered in 1995 – said that she had a feeling Pike would survive the lethal injection attempt.
'It Doesn't Matter What I Think'
May Martinez does not believe Tennessee will attempt another execution.
The death row inmate, 50, was unconscious and breathing with a ventilator for several days after the execution attempt, but according to her legal team, she has since woken up and spoken.
Now, Martinez does not believe Tennessee will attempt another execution.
When she was asked what she would prefer to happen next to the convicted murderer, the still-grieving mom told NBC affiliate WBIR: "It doesn’t matter what I think. They’re going to do what they’re going to do."
'Severe Damage to Her Arms'
Christa Pike did not have a very normal childhood.
Pike's legal team also confirmed to TMZ that she was still receiving "critical care" and had sustained "severe damage to her arms" during the lethal injection procedure.
As Radar previously reported, Pike's team attempted to appeal her death sentence, warning that a health issue could make IV placement difficult and lead to a "prolonged and agonizing" death.
Despite their worries, the state went forward with her execution on September 30.
Harrowing Witness Accounts of Procedure
Christa Pike attacked her fellow inmate in 2001.
Witnesses claimed that Pike asked the doctor present whether it was normal to feel a "burning" sensation in her arm that made it feel like it would "bust." She was also later heard "snoring."
After two lethal injections, the execution was stopped and she was taken to the hospital.
"Tonight the State of Tennessee once again failed to carry out a lawful execution," her lawyers said in a statement. "We take no pleasure in being right, but the concerns raised by Ms. Pike proved to be true: difficult vein access, blown veins, degraded pentobarbital, no emergency medical care available when things inevitably go wrong, all under a protocol that remains veiled in secrecy."
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Christa Pike murdered Colleen Slemmer in 1995.
Robin Maher, the executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center, said there was "no precedent" for the situation and called it "the worst we've seen and unlike any other botched execution in the modern era."
Governor Bill Lee has since confirmed that other scheduled executions would be temporarily paused for the remainder of 2026 as they look into the incident.
"Carrying out a lawfully imposed sentence is among the State's most serious responsibilities, and the people of Tennessee expect it to be done in a manner that is not only legal and constitutional, but is effective," he said in a statement. "I have ordered a comprehensive, third-party review to determine exactly what occurred."
Her attorneys have also called for her death sentence to be commuted, but her fate remains unclear.
