Christa Pike: Failed Execution, Colleen Slemmer Murder & What Happens Next?

<p>Christa Pike was supposed to be executed in Tennessee, but the execution failed.</p><p>In this episode of Crime, Cocktails, &amp; BS, we break down the shocking case of Christa Pike, who was 18 when she was convicted of murdering 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer at Knoxville Job Corps in 1995. We discuss the relationships between Pike, Tadaryl Shipp, and Shadolla Peterson, the brutal murder, the very different sentences each received, and why Pike ultimately spent nearly 30 years on death row.</p><p>Then we get into the latest developments: Tennessee administered two doses of pentobarbital during Pike&#39;s September 30, 2026 execution attempt, but she survived and was transported to a hospital. Tennessee subsequently paused all remaining executions for 2026 and ordered a third-party investigation into what went wrong. Tennessee Department of Correction Commissioner Frank Strada also resigned days later.</p><p>We discuss Pike&#39;s history of childhood abuse and mental illness, her decades of appeals, the final legal attempts to stop her execution, Tennessee&#39;s controversial lethal-injection protocol, and the difficult question of what happens when the state attempts to execute someone and fails.</p><p>Most importantly, we talk about the two sides of this case: Colleen Slemmer&#39;s family, who have waited decades for justice, and the questions surrounding Pike&#39;s age, trauma, rehabilitation, and punishment.</p><p>Was Christa Pike a fundamentally different person at 50 than she was at 18? Should her execution be attempted again? And what happens now?</p><p>Grab a cocktail and join us for one of the heaviest and most complicated cases we&#39;ve covered.</p><p>🍸 Cocktail: The Job Corps Sour</p><p>Listen, watch, and let us know what YOU think.</p>