Christa Pike was supposed to die on September 30, 2026. She survived.

In this breaking update from Murder Syrup, we look at the extraordinary developments surrounding the attempted execution of Christa Pike, the Tennessee woman sentenced to death for the 1995 murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer.

Pike was scheduled to become the first woman executed by Tennessee in more than 200 years. After last-minute legal challenges, the execution proceeded using the lethal-injection drug pentobarbital.

But it did not go as planned.

According to reports and court filings, Pike remained alive after two doses of the execution drug were administered. Witnesses reported that she continued breathing and could be heard snoring. She was eventually removed from the prison and transported to a hospital.

As of October 1, Pike's attorneys say she remains alive, in critical condition and receiving life-saving medical treatment.

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has now halted the state's remaining executions for 2026 and ordered a comprehensive third-party review into what happened.

In this episode, we revisit the murder of Colleen Slemmer, Pike's conviction and death sentence, the last-minute fight over her execution, what witnesses reported from inside the execution chamber, and the questions surrounding what happens next.

This is a developing story. Information in this episode reflects publicly available information at the time of recording.

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