# Ex-chief says Christa Pike was ‘almost giddy’ describing murder as governor weighs in after botched execution

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/ex-chief-says-christa-pike-was-almost-giddy-describing-murder-as-governor-weighs-in-after-botched-execution/
- Published: 2026-10-29T14:59:01+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-29T16:07:00+00:00
- Original publisher: Fox News (publisher lean: Far right)
- Original article: https://www.foxnews.com/us/ex-chief-says-christa-pike-almost-giddy-describing-murder-governor-weighs-botched-execution
- Topics: World

## Key points

- Tennessee’s lethal injection attempt against Pike failed.
- Governor Lee expects her sentence to stand unless courts decide otherwise.
- Pike was convicted of murdering Colleen Slemmer in 1995.

## Summary

Christa Pike survived Tennessee’s failed attempt to execute her by lethal injection, prompting her lawyers to ask Governor Bill Lee to commute her death sentence. Lee said he expects the sentence to remain in place unless a court decides otherwise, leaving Pike’s fate uncertain as legal proceedings continue.

Pike was sentenced to death for the 1995 murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer, a fellow Job Corps participant in Knoxville. Former police chief Phil Keith recalled Pike appearing remorseless and “almost giddy” when discussing the killing; court records say Pike confessed. The execution attempt on 30 September involved two doses of pentobarbital before Pike was taken to hospital and later returned to prison.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.