“I did not take my eyes off of her the entire time.”
May Martinez, the mother of Colleen Slemmer
Witnesses to the failed execution of Christa Pike on Sept. 30 included May Martinez, the mother of Colleen Slemmer, the 19-year-old murdered by Pike.
Martinez and her husband, Raul, say they drove 11 hours from Florida to Tennessee specifically to attend the execution at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville. They describe watching closely as medical personnel allegedly failed to properly administer a lethal dose of pentobarbital, not once, but twice.
“I stood in front of that window and watched her carefully,” May Martinez said. “I didn’t take my eyes off her. I wanted her to remember who Colleen was and what she did, no matter where she goes.”
The couple spoke with members of the press during the drive back to Florida. They say Pike was removed from the facility and taken to an undisclosed hospital.
Martinez also described what happened afterward: she and Raul were brought into another room and told to wait for more than an hour before meeting with the commissioner. According to the couple, the commissioner offered them little clarity about what occurred.
Martinez said she was informed only that Pike had been taken to the hospital. She also said the commissioner told her he did not know enough about the drugs involved to say whether Pike would be alive or dead.
The couple say they are still struggling to understand how the process could have gone so badly.
“It was a complete waste of time,” Raul Martinez said. “It sounds cruel, but how does something like that get botched when the goal is to kill someone? It’s unheard of.”
Raul also noted that Tennessee’s lethal injection protocol uses a single drug, rather than the three-drug method used in many other states. He added that even with a simplified approach, there have been documented issues with administering these drugs, including an earlier incident in Tennessee this year.
While many people have rallied around Pike, arguing against her execution, May Martinez said she wants to see the person who took her daughter’s life held to account permanently.
“She has no remorse,” May said. “She’s never shown any remorse in 31 years.”
She also said Pike has never apologized to her for what happened to her daughter.
Earlier coverage: When Will It Be Over? Colleen Slemmer’s Mother Is Waiting for Justice (August 2026)
Read the complete October 2026 edition of the Victims’ Advocate (PDF)