Christa Pike Alleges Forced Labor in Insect-Ridden Shower After Botched Execution

POLICY WIRE — Nashville, Tennessee — Christa Pike, who survived two lethal injections during a botched execution attempt on September 30, claims she has been compelled to perform hazardous labor since returning to custody. The 50-year-old alleges that she was required to sanitize a shower described as infested with roaches.

According to a personal declaration submitted by her legal team, these assigned duties place Pike at a significant risk of infection and additional physical harm. The details were revealed in an emergency motion obtained by PEOPLE, which seeks to allow Pike to rejoin general prison population activities.

Pike was initially discharged from the hospital following the September 30 incident in Nashville, where she received two doses of pentobarbital. After returning to prison, her legal team states she has been returned to the emergency room once since her discharge, though she was not readmitted for inpatient care.

In an October 30 statement detailing her post-execution condition, Pike described waking up alone, confused, and in pain several days after the botched procedure. She stated that there has not been a moment since that night when she has not been in suffering.

My body hurts. My arms hurt. My hands hurt. My throat hurts. I still struggle to speak, Pike wrote in the declaration.

The convicted murderer indicated her desire to return to the prison but expressed concerns about her previous housing arrangement. Pike alleged that the pod she occupied housed inmates with extensive histories of assaults and disciplinary issues.

She claimed that during her two years in that specific pod following a settlement, she witnessed multiple assaults committed by close custody inmates against other prisoners and guards. Pike also noted observing multiple individuals undergoing acute psychological breakdowns and experiencing significant danger.

Her legal team is petitioning for Pike to participate in standard prison life, including group meals, classes, lobby time, religious services, work assignments, and shared recreation.

A judge has set a deadline of November 4 for defendants to respond to the filing. Pike’s legal team is then granted until November 6 to reply to any defendant responses.

Pike received the death penalty in 1996 after being convicted of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. She was 18 at the time of the offense, which occurred the previous year when she and her then-boyfriend tortured and killed their Job Corps classmate, Colleen Slemmer.

Tadaryl Shipp, Pike’s former boyfriend aged 17 at the time of the crime, was also convicted of first-degree murder and conspiracy. However, his age at the time of the offense rendered him ineligible for the death penalty.

Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)