The state of Tennessee suspended all remaining executions for the year after Christa Pike survived two doses of the lethal-injection drug pentobarbital at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville on Wednesday. Pike, who was convicted of murdering Colleen Slemmer in 1995, was hospitalized after the two-and-a-half-hour ordeal. One other execution had been scheduled in Tennessee for 2026.
The Tennessee Catholic Conference, which had petitioned Gov. Bill Lee to commute Pike’s death sentence in a September 10 letter, issued a statement Wednesday reiterating its opposition to the death penalty:
“First and foremost, we pray for the soul of Colleen Slemmer, who Christa Pike was convicted of murdering more than 30 years ago. We also pray for Colleen’s family and friends that they may find the consolation and healing that only God can provide.
The Church, shepherded by Pope Leo XIV, has restated its opposition to the death penalty as an attack on human dignity and unnecessary to protect society while still punishing those convicted of horrible crimes.”
Click here to read the full statement by the Tennessee Catholic Conference.