The mother of a young woman killed more than three decades ago has spoken publicly about her experience witnessing a failed execution attempt in Tennessee, saying she believes the state owes her an apology and that she broke down in tears during the process.

On the evening of September 30, 2026, authorities at Riverbend Maximum Security Insтιтution in Nashville attempted to carry out the death sentence of Christa Pike, 50, the only woman on Tennessee’s death row. Pike had been convicted in 1996 of the January 1995 murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer. The execution involved the administration of two doses of a lethal injection drug. According to witnesses and later statements from her attorneys, Pike remained alive and responsive for a significant period afterward. She was eventually taken to a hospital, where she was reported to be in critical condition, unconscious, and on a ventilator.

May Martinez, Colleen Slemmer’s mother, traveled from her home in Orange Park, Florida, with her husband to attend the scheduled execution. Speaking the following day while traveling back to Florida, she described the scene as deeply upsetting. “It’s hard. I broke down in tears,” Martinez said. She recounted seeing Pike still moving, speaking, and lifting her head after the drugs had been given. Martinez stated that no one had apologized to her for what occurred and added, “I think that the state owes me a big apology.” She also expressed a sense of continued failure as a mother and frustration after waiting more than 30 years for the sentence to be carried out. “Here we are, 31 years, and you’re laughing in my face again,” she said of the outcome. “All I wanted was justice.”

Media witnesses present in the viewing area reported that Pike appeared to continue breathing and making sounds, including loud snoring or gurgling, even after the curtains to the chamber were closed. Officials later escorted the witnesses out while the situation remained unresolved. Pike’s legal team later confirmed she was receiving life-saving medical care for the effects of the drugs, including injuries to both arms, and described her as critically ill.

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee responded by ordering an independent third-party review of the failed execution. He also announced that the state would suspend all remaining scheduled executions for the rest of 2026 while the investigation proceeds. Lee described the outcome as a tragedy that should not have happened and said the public deserved clear answers about why the process did not work as intended. He confirmed he had not spoken directly with Slemmer’s family at the time of his initial comments.

Pike’s attorneys have called on the governor to commute her death sentence in light of the events. As of early October 2026, she remained under medical care and continuous security. The case dates to 1995, when Pike, then 18, was involved in the killing of Slemmer, a fellow participant in a Job Corps program in Knoxville. Pike was sentenced to death the following year. Her then-boyfriend received a life sentence with the possibility of parole for his role. Slemmer’s family has long supported the original death sentence and has waited decades for it to be carried out.

The failed execution has drawn national attention and prompted questions about the state’s lethal injection protocols. An official review is now underway, and no further executions are planned in Tennessee for the remainder of the year. Martinez has said the experience left her without the sense of closure she had sought after more than three decades.

Sources : ABC News