Christa Pike -where does she stand legally?

[mids2019]

Just this really. Christ a is obviously being giving life saving treatment at hospital but where does she now stand legally. I suppose she probably has irreversible brain damage so will this not allow a second execution to take place? Is this a cruel and unusual punishment?

[Note from MNHQ - edited your title, OP]

I can’t help wondering how much could be done to intervene with young people and get them out of horrendous situations, treat mental health issues and just generally help reduce the incidences of violent crime if the huge amounts of money channeled into pursuing capital punishment vs life in prison were redirected. Various studies have consistently shown the death penalty is massively more expensive ( 2.5-5x more) than sentencing to life without parole. All moral arguments on the state killing people aside, as a society you’d think we’d prefer to invest in trying to prevent future murders vs enacting revenge for those already committed.

That's what I was wondering too, it doesn't make sense.

It is possible to have sympathy for both.

I was 2 years old the first time I was raped that and physical abuse happened daily until I was 14 and left im "normal" I've managed not to murder anybody it's no excuse

Only in America. They’ll probably send her a massive medical bill too.

I'm against the death penalty on principle. I don't think it serves as a deterrent and it gives serious offenders a level of notoriety that I don't think does society any good.
As for the criminals themselves, I have no sympathy. This woman murdered someone in cold blood. She then went on to murder someone else. Nothing in her past justifies or mitigates this, nothing.
This whole situation is a fiasco but my sympathies lie entirely with the victim's family. I have none whatsoever for Christa Pike.

Because legally they have to much like the hospital has to treat everyone that comes in

Hippocratic oath I assume.

I reserve my sympathy for Colleen and her family BUT the botched execution is absolutely horrifying. And it's not the first time this sort of thing has happened. America is really fucked up in how it delivers justice. I don't agree with the death penalty but it should be done within a short time frame of conviction and not have someone spend 30 years on death row in solitary confinement.

I’m sorry you experienced that. All human beings are different in the way they experience and react to trauma.

And? She lured Colleen Slemmer to a secluded location, tortured her, smashed her skull and collected a piece as a “souvenir” to brag about the murder.
this describes her actions. Actions that were - obviously - cruel and inhumane.

Trying to downplay or minimise that is - IMO - disgusting, offensive and incredibly disrespectful to Colleen Slemmer.

I find the death penalty morally wrong (and object to the notoriety it affords convicts).
But I firmly believe that we should make the case against the death penalty without trying to minimise the convicted murderer’s crimes or painting her as somehow less “deserving” than other convicted murderers…That is disrespectful to Colleen Slemmer and her family.

or in other words: I am categorically opposed to the death penalty. Because I object to the death penalty in general. Not because of any sympathy towards Pike or an attempt to downplay the severity of her crimes.

My sympathies lie firmly with Colleen Slemmer and her grieving mother May Martinez.

Because there are rules how someone can be executed and methods are supposed to avoid suffering. Letting someone suffer for hours/days and slowly die is not permitted. Otherwise prisons could just stop to supply food and drink to those supposed to be executed and not go through all the trouble of sourcing the chemicals etc needed for the execution.

The woman she attempted to strangle was named Patricia Jones. Jones had already attempted to kill three other inmates and each time Christa Pike intervened to save them. Jones herself testified that Pike had intervened in a fight between Jones and another inmate and had likely saved the other woman's life.

Don't take this as me being sympathetic towards Christa Pike. I do wonder how she even had access to intervene in these situations, given she was supposed to be on DR and in solitary at the time. It wasn't until 2024 that her appeal to be given more freedoms, such as the male death row prisoners were receiving, was granted.

I am not defending her, although her early years were utterly heartbreaking. Nor I am supporting the death penalty. I am just here to say her boyfriend who was also found guilty got life with chance of parole.

The whole thing is a disgrace.

Some people on this thread would actually prefer that approach!

Surely in a country with more guns than people. Someone would have one on hand to end the suffering. If your sick minded enough to want to watch an execution you can probably cope with a little blood.

They are having real problems with method of execution, what with pharmaceutical companies refusing to supply the drugs and properly trained medical professionals refusing to participate.

I'm anti death penalty completely but do find it somewhat ironic that what is considered inhuman for prisoners (withdrawing food and water) is exactly the method we use to end the suffering of our elderly and sick.

It’s rather different when withdrawing food and water from an otherwise healthy human.

I think that person was asking more “why take her to hospital at all” rather than “why are the doctors at the hospital doing their jobs”.

Her lawyers filed a motion to stop the execution as it was happening, as is their job - the basis for this was the constitution forbids cruel and unusual punishment, and they argued the execution as it played out met that criteria.
As it happens, this wasn’t necessary as the prison staff stopped the execution anyway because they’d basically come to the end of their protocol, given the maximum dose they were allowed to give, she was still alive, they didn’t know what to do except transfer to hospital. They had no protocol for what to do if someone was still alive at that point.

It's well documented that her boyfriend was as much guilty as she was. I don't know what he did because they mainly only quote what she did. But he was sent to prison without parole for his part 17yrs. I can't see where you got the minimising bit from.

It’s cruel and unusual to get raped when you’re still in nappies. I don’t think you can develop into a functional person after that, and why would you? This woman has had the worst life.

I’ve wondered that too. Will her family get a hefty bill?

Presumably the Executioner will be sued for negligence. He needs to held accountable.

Honestly, a total shit show all round.

I have a lot of mixed feelings surrounding the death penalty, but this sort of botch is unacceptable.