Tennessee’s only woman on death row files lawsuit alleging execution method violates rights, religious beliefs

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Christa Gail Pike, Tennessee’s only woman on death row and a convicted murderer, has filed a lawsuit arguing that the state’s method of execution would violate her constitutional rights and deeply held religious beliefs.

Pike was convicted in the 1995 torture and murder of Colleen Slemmer — a case often referred to as the “Job Corps Murder.” Prosecutors said Pike struck Slemmer in the head with a chunk of asphalt, killing her, and later kept part of the victim’s skull as a souvenir. That part of the story is not in dispute.

Nevertheless, Pike is now asking the courts for relief.

On Jan. 8, she sued the state attorney general, the corrections commissioner, and multiple prison wardens, arguing that Tennessee’s lethal injection protocol is cruel, painful, undignified, unconstitutional, and — perhaps most critically — incompatible with her religious beliefs.

According to the lawsuit, the drug used in executions could cause a sensation similar to drowning, along with intense pain, panic, and suffering. Pike’s attorneys argue this would be especially problematic given her medical conditions, which they say could make the process even more unpleasant than usual.

In other words, the concern is not death itself — just the manner in which it occurs.

The lawsuit also objects to the state’s failure to have emergency medical services standing by during executions, in case things don’t go as planned. Pike’s legal team suggests that if an execution doesn’t work within five minutes, life-saving measures should be administered — an idea that, critics might note, somewhat undercuts the point of an execution.

Pike further argues that Tennessee’s requirement that death row inmates propose an alternative method of execution violates her rights under the First and Fourteenth Amendments. Pike, who identifies as a practicing Buddhist, claims that suggesting a different way for the state to kill her would require her to participate in her own death — something she says her religion forbids.

The lawsuit asks the court to:

Declare the lethal injection protocol unconstitutional
Block its use entirely
Require emergency medical intervention during executions
End a 14-day pre-execution isolation period
Delay her execution until other death penalty cases are resolved

Meanwhile, Colleen Slemmer’s mother, May Marinez, continues to wait. She has spent decades advocating for justice in her daughter’s case and has said she hopes no other parent has to endure what she did.

Pike is scheduled to be executed on Sept. 30. If it happens, it would mark the first time Tennessee has executed a woman in more than 200 years — a milestone the state has apparently taken its time reaching.

Whether the courts agree that the execution of a convicted murderer violates her conscience more than her crime violated someone else’s remains to be seen.

ORIGINAL SOURCE