Aunt of Christa Pike Believes Botched Execution Was Divine Intervention
Family member states that the survival of the condemned inmate signifies God's will, not a failure of the corrections system.
Christa Pike’s aunt, Carrie Ross, believes her niece survived a botched lethal injection on Sept. 30 as an act of God, asserting that divine will supersedes the authority of the Department of Correction. Pike, 50, remains the first known inmate in the U.S. to survive a lethal injection procedure.
Pike was transported to the hospital in critical condition following the execution attempt at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville. According to her legal team, she is currently suffering from pneumonia and a blood clot in her arms and is unable to eat. Ross, who helped raise Pike and considers her a daughter, stated that the family has not been able to speak with Pike since she awoke from a coma on Tuesday.
Ross emphasized her belief that if God intervened, Pike's life should be spared, stating, “When God puts his hand on someone, God is in control. Not the Department of Correction, not us, but God.” She further argued that attempting a second execution would constitute torture and that Pike has endured sufficient suffering.
Pike was sentenced to death for the 1995 torture and murder of her 19-year-old classmate, Colleen Slemmer. Ross believes Pike's survival means she has already completed her execution and should not face further attempts.