Christa Pike: Poster Girl For Capital Punishment
Like many people, I have reservations about capital punishment. When life in prison - absolutely without the possibility of parole - is an alternative, that would usually seem the better choice.
Yet some crimes are so depraved, so heinous, so satanic, that justice can only be served with the death penalty. Some murderers also pose a threat to fellow inmates.
And that’s why Christa Pike was sentenced to death 30 years ago in Tennessee. As a jealous 18-year-old, she and two teenaged accomplices lured 19-year-old classmate Colleen Slemmer to a remote location near the University of Tennessee where they tortured the girl for up to an hour before killing her.
According to her own confession, Pike punched the girl she thought was after her boyfriend, slammed her head against concrete, kicked her, cut her with a box cutter and finally bashed in Slemmer’s head with a chunk of asphalt.
Slemmer’s body was so mutilated that when it was discovered it was first believed to be a dead animal.
During the torture session Slemmer begged to be freed. She offered to walk home to Florida and not go back for her belongings if Pike would release her. She had multiple defensive wounds on her arms and knees,.
Oh, and during the murder, a pentagram was carved into Slemmer’s chest
In fact, the medical examiner said there were so many injuries to Slemmer’s corpse that to document every one was impractical.
Pike was so delighted with her handiwork that she had a souvenir of the murder: Pike kept a piece of Slemmer’s skull that she was carrying in her pocket when she was picked up by the police.
This is a sick, dangerous woman.
So dangerous, that five years after she was imprisoned and awaiting execution, Pike attacked a fellow inmate and attempted to kill her, too. Pike was tried and convicted of attempted first degree murder and 25 years were added to her death sentence,
Pike finally had an execution date last week, but as we all know, two attempts at lethal injection failed and the murderer didn’t die.
Here’s where it gets weird. The state was trying to kill her, failed and then sent her to s a hospital where they are keeping her alive.
Why?
Vets euthanize Saint Bernards with no problem and no pain, yet these lethal injections seem tricky. Maybe call a veterinarian next time.
You know what isn't tricky? Firing squads. Quick and relatively painless. Surely less painless than getting one’s head bashed in.
According to reports, Pike is unconscious and may even be on life support.
Pull the damn plug.
Shoot, a few years ago, Gov. Ralph Northam coolly explained how imperfect - but innocent - babies are kept comfortable while they’re allowed to die.
Why all the extreme measures to keep this evil devil-worshipping witch breathing?
In the wake of the botched execution attempts bleeding hearts are rolling out stories about Pike’s lousy childhood and her young age to gin up sympathy for the inmate.
Sorry.
I prefer to think about Slemmer’s family. They’d traveled to Tennessee to see justice carried out and instead they go home knowing the monster who ended their daughter’s life lives on.
Unless Pike just dies in the next few days, this is going to turn into a legal nightmare, with lawyers arguing she’s suffered enough and her death sentence should be commuted.
Sorry, she earned her punishment.
