Latest / Minor Mischief Podcast / A Minor Update: Christa Pike
Transcript
- Kiki George: So remember earlier this year when we unpacked the case of Krista Pike? Well, her execution date finally came. And friend, we need to talk. Hey, mischief makers. Welcome back to the Minor Mischief Podcast, a true podcast that unpacks the crimes of young people. I'm your host and Homegirl, Kiana Amir, and we're skipping pleasantries this week. We're skipping pleasantries this week. Like I had a whole case that I had typed out, research and all that stuff. But baby, we have so much ground to cover. We have something completely different to talk about. This is the first case update that we've covered. And when I tell you, my flabbers are gasted. They are just, they're gone. They're in the wind. I don't even know where they are. I felt like when I came back with my first update episode on a previously covered case, it would be because somebody filed an appeal, somebody got a new court date, or some new piece of information came out that made me say, okay, let's talk about this. But this, this is an update I genuinely did not expect. If you listened to my original episode on Krista Pike, then you already know this case. But for those of you that didn't, I'm gonna go through a really, really quick recap. In 1994, Krista Pike was 18 years old and she enrolled in the Job Corps program in Knoxville, Tennessee, where she met and began dating 17-year-old Daryl Schiff. While there, Krista also met 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer, a Florida native who had enrolled in Job Corps, hoping to pursue computer science. Tension eventually developed between the two after Krista became convinced. Like nobody could tell her different. Nobody could tell her, Krista, maybe you're wrong. Like she was convinced that Colleen was interested in today. Something that Colleen's friends to this day vehemently deny. And honestly, anyone that knew Colleen continues to deny, like Colleen was not interested in that boy. What began as jealousy escalated into Krista planning to get Colleen off campus? under the illusion of making peace with her. On January twelfth, nineteen ninety five, Krista Tadarrell, Colleen, and another student, Shadala Peterson, left campus together. Krista initially told Colleen they were going to Blockbuster, but the group instead ended up near the University of Tennessee agricultural campus. And Krista got Colleen there because she was just like, you know what, Colleen? I stashed a little marijuana nearby. And Colleen thought that Krista was hanging out with her this night to make amends because they had had a very rocky friendship. Because, like I said, Krista thought Colleen was interested in Tederyl. And let's just, I want to be clear here. And this is no shade to today or his family, but he was not the dude I was about to be fighting over. I'm gonna be completely honest. He was not a bad looking dude, but it's like he was younger. It just there was just too many things, you know? Now, once they got out of sight and onto this other school's campus, what followed was an extraordinarily prolonged and brutal attack against Colleen. Colleen repeatedly begged for her life. She repeatedly attempted to escape. She was beaten, cut, and ultimately killed by blunt force trauma to her head. And then they carved a pentagram in her chest. Like it was sickening behavior. Krista didn't even try to hide what she'd done afterwards. She returned to job court and told other students that she had killed Colleen, showed off a piece of Colleen's skull that she'd taken from the scene, and bragged about the details of the murder. Shortly after, I believe it was the next day of the day after, police arrested Krista, Tadaryl, and Shadala. And Shadala got parole. Tadaryl is doing life with the possibility of parole. And Krista went to trial in nineteen ninety-six. Her defense didn't focus on proving her innocence. Instead, they presented evidence of severe neglect, abuse, trauma, and psychological struggles she experienced throughout her childhood. Typical. I know. It's like literally, and I listen, this stuff is real. It does like she went through all of it. But I do feel like every time someone does something like this and their back is against the wall, one of the first things they say is, my gosh, look at what they went through. But I'll continue on that later. The prosecution focused on the planning and prolonged brutality of Colleen's murder. And on March 22nd, 1996, Krista was convicted of first-degree premeditated murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder. Eight days later, she was sentenced to death, making her Tennessee's only woman on death row. For the next 31 years, her attorneys pursued numerous attempts to change her sentence. But As we discussed in the original episode, her execution was ultimately scheduled for September 30th, 2026. That's right, friends. Yesterday. And that is where I thought this story was gonna end. I fully expected to wake up this morning to the news of Krista Pike's passing. But Krista Pike survived. I was on the phone with my sister-in-law this morning, and I was just like, I mean, at this point. what what can they do? And my sister in law was, you gotta be a special kind of evil. And y'all, there's a lot to unpack. Even before Krista entered the execution chamber, the day was already chaotic. Just about an hour before the execution was originally scheduled to begin, a federal appeals court temporarily stopped it while considering arguments surrounding Krista's history of childhood sexual abuse and whether that history had been adequately considered. Which is wild That they're still considering that because all of this was already brought forth during her original trial. Like during her original trial, they unpacked her life story. They talked about the sexual abuse. They talked about, you know, everything that she had been through, the abuse that she went through with her parents, the abuse that she, the neglect that she went through with her parents. They went through her mom's lifestyle. They went through, you know, her being molested and raped. They went through all of these things during the initial trial. And so I want to be clear here. I'm not making light of what she went through. If you listen to the original episode, I go into it more in depth. She had a horrible upbringing. Like I said, she was abused. She was sexually assaulted. She was raped on several different occasions. She suffered tremendous loss. She never got to fully process grief through the loss that she went through. And honestly, her childhood really gave that she was uncared for. I'm not minimizing what she went through, but I can never excuse what she did. Regardless, she was scheduled for execution at 10 a.m. yesterday morning, but an appeals court stopped the lethal injection an hour before schedule. Hours later, the United States Supreme Court was like, listen, we hear what you're saying. I hear what you're saying, but she was scheduled to die today and we're gonna go ahead. And they cleared the way for Tennessee to proceed. And those in support of her execution, including Colleen's parents, who, by the way, drove 11 hours from Florida to Tennessee to finally breathe a sigh of relief after decades of appeals, delays, legal arguments, the execution was scheduled to move forward. I could never pretend to understand what this process has been like for Colleen's parents, but I could imagine that they finally felt that they would receive closure in her case. Because you guys have to remember, Colleen passed away on January 11, 1995. It is October 1st, 2026. So the fact that they're even still driving back and forth from Florida to Tennessee, and they never received closure in this case, it's a lot, and they've been through a lot. After the Supreme Court intervention, Crystal was strapped to the gurney at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville, Tennessee, when she was asked for her final words. She talked about being at peace. She said she was ready to be free and described it as a happy day. Like, girl, what? She also reportedly denied her last meal and spent the day leading up to her execution fasting, which I think is a scheme that Todd set up and we're gonna get into that later. Witnesses to her execution said that they saw her chatting with her spiritual advisor. They said that they saw her laughing and smiling. And I pray I never know what that's like to be on death row and to be set up for execution. But I can't imagine I'm be laughing about it. I can't imagine that I'm gonna be like, I'm at peace. I'm gonna be freaking out. I'm be freaking out because I don't know where I'm going. I probably make it to heaven, but I don't know where I'm going. Officials administered the first dose of Krista's lethal injection yesterday afternoon. And Tennessee's lethal injection protocol uses the drug PentoBarbital. Tennessee is one of the last remaining states to use a one drug lethal injection instead of the three drug combination that most other states use. And baby, don't do no crimes in South Carolina and be on death row because they use the firing squad, like they did it earlier this year, and I was amazed like I was shocked because I'm like, is that that don't seem but based on what the guy did, I was like, you know what? It is what it is. At some point during the process, witnesses reported hearing Krista complain about her arm. She asked whether what she was feeling was normal, although they never described what she was feeling, whether it was burning, stinging, numbness, we don't know and it's likely we will never know. They eventually closed the curtains Then they reopened and Krista was still alive. The state then proceeded with its backup dose, and still, Krista Pike did not die. Witnesses reported hearing her breathing and eventually loudly snoring, even after that second dose had been administered. Her attorneys were frantically filing emergency motions, arguing that what was happening inside that chamber amounted to cruel and unusual punishment. And it does suck because one of the arguments that her attorneys have been using for months now is that Crystal apparently has some kind of condition. And they said that the lethal injection wouldn't work for her anyway, which is why they were just like, she needs to have something else happen. Like whether you give her life or something else, but you cannot do lethal injection. And they were just like, okay, she can be electrocuted, but she has to make that decision. And because of her alleged spiritual beliefs, she's a practicing Buddhist now, allegedly, she could not partake in deciding her own demise. Eventually the execution was stopped. Krista was removed from the prison by ambulance and transported to an outside medical facility, which I have to be honest, I don't understand. What was the point of taking her to the hospital to save her? I you know, I don't know if like they were just like, it's illegal to just leave her there, but I'm just like, I would have probably just left her there and see if she woke up or if she just would have taken a long nap, you know? Or if she just would have faded out on her own. And if she woke up, I probably would have hit her again. I'm not gonna lie. I'm not even gonna lie. As I mentioned earlier, Colleen's mother Mae Martinez and her husband Raul traveled eleven hours from Florida to Tennessee to witness Krista's execution. Their trip was crowdfunded because over the last 30 years, they have had to travel back and forth and back and forth from Florida to Tennessee for all of the cases and updates. Every time Krista filed an appeal, which she's done Countless times at this point, and at least three or four times this year alone. If you guys remember from the case episode, she tried every loophole, including religious exemption. And Raul and May had to be there for all of it. They have been living with the murder of their daughter since nineteen ninety-five. And the most heartbreaking part is in a statement to People magazine today, May stated, quote, I stood in front of that window and I watched her very, very carefully. I did not take my eyes off of her. I wanted her to remember who Colleen was and what they've done and never forget that thought, no matter where she goes. Raul then went on to state to the magazine, it was a complete waste of time. I don't know. It sounds cruel, but how do you botch up killing somebody? It's unheard of. They went to Tennessee believing that regardless of their feelings about the death penalty itself, the sentence handed down for her for their daughter's murder was finally going to be carried out. Instead, they watched another chapter of this case unfold and it's heartbreaking. Because while Krista spoke about being at peace and love before her execution began, May says that in all of these years, she has never received the one thing that she wanted to see: genuine remorse for Colleen's murder. Krista has never apologized to her. There has never been any acknowledgement directly to Colleen's family that was somehow less than even a fraction of what they've carried for more than 30 years. What pisses me off about this whole thing is that whenever a death row case reaches this stage, so much of the conversation becomes about the inmate. We've talked ad nauseum about Krista's childhood, her mental health, her appeals, her constitutional rights, her final meal, her final words, her final hours. Krista's attorneys have argued for years that That she experienced severe childhood trauma and sexual abuse, and that important mitigating evidence wasn't adequately presented to the jury that sentenced her to death. But Colleen matters. She was 19 years old. She didn't get another 31 years. And her parents have spent those same 31 years reliving what happened to their daughter over and over and over. Every case that they went to, they had to hear about it. Every time they showed up to court, they had to hear about it. Every time Krista filed an appeal, they had to hear about it. And they're hearing everything but the one thing they wanted, which was acknowledgement, which was, I'm sorry I did this to your baby. And to this moment, they still have not gotten it. So what happens now? At this point, there are considerably more questions than answers. Tennessee officials have not yet publicly explained exactly why the execution failed. I'm gonna get into some online speculations here momentarily. The Tennessee Department of Corrections maintains that officials followed the state's established execution protocol, but Governor Bill Lee has ordered a comprehensive independent review of what happened, and unfortunately, he has stopped any further executions in Tennessee while that review takes place. Krista Pike's execution has been postponed indefinitely. Her attorneys are also arguing that what happened in that chamber raises serious constitutional questions. about whether the state can attempt to execute her again after she has already endured not one but two failed lethal injections. As of the recording of this episode, Krista remains in the hospital receiving life saving treatment, which I don't wish death on a soul in this world. I really don't. But it does beg the question, why are they trying to save the life of someone the state just tried to kill? And who's paying these medical bills? Raoul made a Facebook post dated September 22nd, 2026, where he wrote, For those of you that may not know, the state of Tennessee has informed us a while ago that they have misplaced the piece of skull that they were holding as evidence to add insult to injury. Sounds very irresponsible to us. The least they can do is carry out her sentence on the 30th of September so that we may have justice for our daughter, Colleen. Raul May and the others in Colleen's family, you guys are in my thoughts and prayers. I am really hoping and praying that this 31-year nightmare comes to an end quickly because it should be over by now. It should be over by now. Like, I am not gonna be more philosophical than I am. Like, I am human, I have very limited knowledge, I have my beliefs, I have things that I don't like, I have my likes. But just what like reading up on some of the things that Colleen's parents said. They're right. And I think the most heartbreaking part is like, first of all, I don't even like getting into the comments, but just reading some of the comments where people were just like, well, if God wanted her gone, she would be. And while I do believe that to an extent, right? I do find it highly insensitive. And I feel like God should start suing y'all for defamation because I feel like we be bringing God into stuff that he's just like, did you even consult me on this? Did you even ask me how I felt? Because to tell someone who is just looking for closure If if God wanted her gone, she would be gone. You know, like that's come on. Like, let's it takes nothing to be kind and it takes nothing to really shut up. I'm gonna be honest, it takes nothing to just shut up. Because I would be willing to bet that the people that are saying that have not walked in their shoes. They have not probably lost a child this way. They have probably not Dealt with anything this traumatic. And they probably have not had to wait 31 years for justice just to have it thrown in their face, just to have her laugh and then it not go the way it was expected. Me personally, this is just me, and yes, I'm a believer. Me, I don't feel like I got anything to do with this. I feel like either the dosage was wrong or I feel like there's, I feel like this is explainable. I I I really do. I feel like. You know what? I'm gonna get into that later. it would make the most sense if they have a DNR on Krista, but with how things have been handled by the state of Tennessee, and in this case particularly, who knows? And now that I've given you the facts, I can really dive into my opinion. I've read a lot today, like I said, about what happened during her execution, but the two things that have stuck out to me is one, Krista Pike is a natural redhead, and apparently redheads carry a gene mutation that lessens the efficacy of medications. They typically need twenty percent more of a dose to be absorbed properly. And I read and I saw the name of the gene mutation, but I didn't write it down. But that twenty percent was not factored into Crystal's lethal dose. Like I was reading just and granted, anybody could say what they want on the internet, right? But some people were saying like like the redheads were sounding off in the comment and like they were just like, Yeah, my epidural didn't take or one Lady was just like how she had anesthesia for her surgery and she literally looked at her doctor and was like, I can feel you cutting on me. And so that it's a huge possibility that is what happened. Additionally, there's a lot of speculation on why she was fasting. Surface level states that she did it on purpose because she wanted to dehydrate herself. Because if her veins were shoddy, she would be non-receptive to the medication. On a deeper level, like the crime junkies say, go a layer deeper, Crystal was a non-occultist. And according to the people that are into that kind of thing, when you make deals with spirits on the other side, you fast to make it effective, or you fast in order to make your manifestation happen. I personally do not dive into those uncharted waters. I don't like to open myself up to things that I don't know about. I don't like to open myself up to things that can torment my soul. So I'll just take their word for it. I do know that fasting is an effective tool spiritually, regardless of belief. Christians do it, Muslims do it, Wiccans fast, Buddhists fast. And like I mentioned earlier in one of her appeals, Prista did claim to be Buddhist. And so it's possible that is why she was fasting because she felt like, you know, I might as well, right? But to me, I'm just like, I'm not buying it. I'm not buying it. I'm not buying that she was fasting for any good reason. I'm I probably think that she wanted to dehydrate herself. I feel like that. But also if they knew she was dehydrated, why not pump her with saline? Why not hydrate her before you administer? I just feel like this was just a botched execution. And it's the way that this has been handled, again, like it just really creases my sneakers. Like it really scuffs my Tims. It really grinds my gears. Because Colleen's family had to drive back home today with the media calling them. And they said that after they whisked Krista off to the hospital. They just put them in another room and was just like, Yeah, so we don't really know what happened, but we'll we'll be in touch. Like they gave them zero information. Regardless of what. I really wish that she like honestly, I feel like it would have brought Colleen's family just a sliver of peace had she just taken accountability, which is something to this day that she has not done. She has blamed everybody else except for the woman in the mirror. And that's all they have been asking. You spent all this time trying to save your own life. From the time you were sentenced to death, you have been on and on and on and on and on. Appeal, appeal, appeal. I've been through it. I've been going through a lot. I've I've gone through this. Have you ever stopped to think about what Colleen's family went through? You spent all this time trying to save your own life that you never even apologize for the life you took. For that you can go to hell, Krista. Like, I spent most of the day just kind of ping-ponging back and forth, like, how do I feel about this? Like, on the one hand, it's just like everything I d I am one of those people that believes that everything happens for a reason. And I I don't know what the reason for this would be. I'm I'm not even gonna hold you. I don't know what the reason for this would be. But I feel Feel like she had ample opportunity to just say, you know what, I want to issue an apology to Colleen's family. What I did was wrong. And I'm sorry for what I did. I can't bring her back. And it it hurts me every single day. But please know that I'm sorry. That's it. That's all you had to do. And it would not have brought her back. But it would have brought them the closure that they needed to know that at least, you know, at least she apologized. Because they don't have their daughter, they don't have an apology, they don't have justice, they don't have anything. And that's the hurtful part. In Raul's last post, or at least the last one I read, he stated, quote, I'm sure by now everyone knows that the state of Tennessee botched the execution of Krista Pike. And thank you to all the donors that helped with the final journey to Nashville. Unfortunately, Colleen's soul cannot rest until this monster succumbs to the two doses of pentobarbital she was given. This bitch will haunt Colleen's heavenly journey until she's been wiped off the face of the earth. She is now in a local hospital, locked up with chains and two armed guards, and nothing can be done until the bitch croaked. Sorry for the blunt language. Right now I am not a happy camper. And he's right. He's right. Like I read people in the comments were just like, wow, I can't believe her family's so bitter. Are they bitter or are they hurt? Are they feeling like they have been fighting this battle for 31 years and things just keep happening? The piece of Colleen's skull that they wanted to bury with the rest of her, they never got and they may never get because the Tennessee lost it. Like, I just I don't know a lot about the law, but why was she even granted the ability to file so many appeals? Like I feel like cause that costs money. And I know she ain't got none. So it's like, who's paying? This. Like, I'm the type of person where I do believe that people can be reformed, but she showed up until her very last moment. I can't I I can't even say her very last moment because she's still alive. She showed up until the time before she fell asleep and was whisked away to the hospital that she did not care about anybody but herself. And I think that makes all the difference. That makes all the difference because had she shown Remorse, had she shown hurt, care, concern, anything, I think a lot of people will feel differently. But the fact that she hasn't done that is really a slap in the face to Colleen's family. It really is. And I just, like I said, it takes nothing to be kind. And so as you're reading these things and as you're commenting on these things, show Colleen's family some grace because they are walking through a process that none of us could. They're walking through a process that most of us pray we never have to go through. And I feel like we should give them grace. Let them handle it the way they need to. That's all I'm saying. May says she is still struggling with the events that happened at the prison and is wondering if she'll ever find closure. Additionally, up to now they have not been given any information on Krista's condition or what happens from here. I'll be keeping up on updates. I don't want to really do any more episodes talk about Krista Pike though. Like I feel like after this I'm done talking about her. Like I I'm done talking about her. Whatever happens, whatever doesn't happen, I feel like the main focus is just surrounding Colleen's family with love and prayers and support. I think that's the main focus. and then we can continue this conversation in the comments. Let me know what you think. Would it be fair for the state to try again? Should they give up? Shit like What should happen from here? Like, you know? I don't know. I don't know the answer to that, but I'm I'm curious to know what you guys think. Until next week, I'll be back with a brand new episode, which was supposed to be this week's episode. But between the Lindsay Clancy case, the Caleb Flynn case, and Krista Pike, my true crime research has been thicker than Rick Ross' beard. Who apparently he's in jail too. I'm like, what is happening? Regardless, I have next week's episode typed out. I just need to record it. And let's continue the conversation in the comments. I want to know what you guys think. Like, what's dare I even ask, what's fair at this point? Because to me, I'm like, she deserved what she gets. Like, I started today with like, okay, maybe she's been giving another chance to do the right thing. But after like reading like that she did not give a care up until like the very last injection, whatever happens to her happens. Whatever happens to her happens. And that's how I feel about it. Whatever happens to her happens because to have been sitting in solitary confinement all these years, crying about sitting in solitary confinement all these years and never taking the chance to self-reflect and say, you know what, I was wrong. I think I think there like there's a level of just nefarious behavior. Like I I can't I can't ever get behind that. Regardless, this is not about me. We'll see what the state of Tennessee does. So I'll check back with you guys next week. We'll talk further in the comments. Next week we'll have a brand new episode. See you guys next week. Same day of the week. New episodes drop every Thursday. Imagine my surprise when I woke up this morning to tons of new listeners. Thank you guys. And the con like you guys have been you guys have left some great feedback in the comments. Thank you guys so much. Like, I don't think you actually I know you don't know, but I actually like as of yesterday or was it a few days ago, I was like, am I should I just quit this show? Like is this even worth my time? But this really gave me the encouragement to keep going. So thank you guys so much for your encouraging words in the comments. Thank you guys for listening. Thank you guys for tuning in. Thank you guys for you know, giving me a piece of your mind. And so I'll talk to you guys next week. And until then, stay mischievous, friends.