Weather 
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
A former Tennessee police chief who investigated the murder that sent Christa Pike to death row recalled the convicted killer being “ruthless” and “almost giddy” while describing the crime to investigators, as Gov. Bill Lee signaled her death sentence is unlikely to change after she survived a failed execution.
Pike, 50, survived Tennessee’s attempt to execute her by lethal injection on Sept. 30 and has since returned to prison, raising questions about whether the state could attempt to put her to death again.
Lee addressed Pike’s fate Wednesday, saying she remains incarcerated under Tennessee law.
CHRISTA PIKE IS BACK BEHIND BARS AFTER BOTCHED EXECUTION, BUT HER ULTIMATE SENTENCE FACES A NEW TEST
“I suspect her sentence will be the same as it was before unless determined otherwise by the courts,” Lee said.
The governor’s comments come as Pike’s attorneys have called on Lee to commute her death sentence to life without parole following the failed execution.
CHRISTA PIKE’S BOTCHED LETHAL INJECTION TAKES FOCUS OFF VICTIM, JEOPARDIZES EXECUTION: FORMER POLICE CHIEF
Pike was sentenced to death for the 1995 murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer, a fellow participant in a federal Job Corps program in Knoxville.
Former Knoxville Police Chief Phil Keith, who was involved in the investigation, recently recalled Pike’s demeanor while she was being questioned about the killing in the New York Post documentary “No Mercy: Christa Pike Unraveled.”
FORMER KNOXVILLE POLICE CHIEF SAYS INVESTIGATORS ARE STILL HAUNTED BY COLLEEN SLEMMER’S MURDER 31 YEARS LATER
“I heard somebody that was ruthless, without any remorse, almost giddy,” Keith said. “You know, she was describing what took place, like, almost the sense that she was bragging about it.”
Keith confirmed the comments to Fox News Digital, calling them “spot on.” He described Pike in two words: “Pure evil.”
Keith also recalled Pike openly talking about the killing after returning to the Job Corps.
LETHAL INJECTION SURVIVOR CHRISTA PIKE’S FORMER SATANIST BOYFRIEND COULD BE RELEASED IN 5 YEARS
“Pike, when she got back, you know, immediately had to express her joy with killing Colleen,” Keith said in the documentary. “And then the very next day in class, she bragged again, talking about how she killed Colleen. She showed her shoes that had blood on them.”
Pike was 18 when she, her 17-year-old boyfriend, Tadaryl Shipp, and 19-year-old Shadolla Peterson were charged in Slemmer’s killing. All four were participating in the Job Corps at the time, court records show.
CHRISTA PIKE’S ATTORNEYS SAY SHE’S IN CRITICAL CONDITION AFTER BOTCHED LETHAL INJECTIONS
The three took Slemmer to a secluded area on the University of Tennessee’s Knoxville campus, where her throat was cut multiple times, she was struck in the head with a large piece of asphalt and a pentagram was carved into her chest.
Pike later confessed to her role in the killing, according to court records.
CHRISTA PIKE DISCHARGED FROM HOSPITAL, RETURNED TO PRISON AFTER BOTCHED EXECUTION, ATTORNEYS SAY
Keith said the brutality of the crime scene shocked even veteran homicide investigators.
“I was accustomed to seeing that kind of gore, if you will. But the brutality was different,” Keith said in the Post documentary.
CHRISTA PIKE NOW CONSCIOUS AND TALKING AFTER SURVIVING 2 DOSES OF LETHAL INJECTION DRUG
“You know, the visual scene of it, it was so shocking,” he added.
Pike was convicted and sentenced to death in 1996, and the Tennessee Supreme Court later affirmed her convictions and sentence.
CHRISTA PIKE’S ATTORNEY SAYS SHE’S ‘UP AND WALKING’ MORE THAN A WEEK AFTER BOTCHED EXECUTION
FOLLOW THE FOX TRUE CRIME TEAM ON X
More than three decades later, Tennessee attempted to carry out that sentence on Sept. 30 after the U.S. Supreme Court vacated a last-minute stay issued by the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
The execution attempt failed after Pike received two doses of pentobarbital, and she was taken to a hospital.
She remained unconscious for days, and her attorneys at one point believed she was brain-dead and expected her to be taken off life support. Pike later regained consciousness and was discharged from the hospital before being returned to prison.
SIGN UP TO GET THE LATEST TRUE CRIME NEWS
Her attorneys have since said she is able to walk and speak in full sentences.
THE FOX TRUE CRIME HUB
Following the execution attempt, Lee halted Tennessee’s remaining executions for the year and ordered an independent review of what went wrong.
SEND US A TIP
Pike’s attorneys have argued she should not be subjected to another execution attempt.
LISTEN TO THE NEW ‘CRIME & JUSTICE WITH DONNA ROTUNNO’ PODCAST
The push for commutation predates the failed execution.
GET BREAKING NEWS BY EMAIL
In a 2021 filing with the Tennessee Supreme Court, Pike’s attorneys sought a certificate of commutation, pointing to her age at the time of Slemmer’s murder as well as her history of childhood trauma, mental illness and brain damage.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Fox News Digital reached out to Pike’s attorneys and Lee’s office for additional comment, and to Keith to confirm the context of his remarks.
Fox News Digital’s Michael Ruiz contributed to this report.
