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Decision made on Christa Pike's victim's mother during execution
A major update has been provided ahead of Christa Pike’s execution later today, with news of whether her victim’s mother will be in attendance or not.
Questions were raised over whether May Martinez, the mother of Colleen Slemmer, who was brutally murdered by Pike in 1995, would be allowed into the execution chamber as Pike receives the lethal injection.
Slemmer's mother allowed to attend execution
Slemmer’s mother, who has frequently voiced her support for Pike’s highly contested execution, has been told that she is allowed to be present when Pike becomes the first woman in over 200 years to be executed by the Tennessee state.
An online fundraiser has amassed over $2,500 for May’s trip to Tennessee, with the host of the fundraiser, Casey Walley, saying: "After 30 years of carrying the loss of her daughter, she shouldn’t have to worry about whether she can afford to be there.
"I just want to say this on behalf of Raul and May Martinez — they are absolutely overwhelmed by the love and support everyone has shown them," Walley posted after the target was surpassed.
"They truly cannot believe how many people have stepped up, donated, shared, prayed, and simply shown that they care. They are beyond grateful for every single one of you.
"From Raul and May, and from me — thank you.
"You helped make sure they could be there for Colleen. And that means more than words can say."
Pike's murder of Slemmer
Pike, then 18, murdered Slemmer, while both were studying at the US Job Corps in 1995, after Pike believed that her fellow student had a particular interest in her then-boyfriend Tadaryl Shipp.
Shipp was an accomplice in the murder, but due to not legally being an adult, he avoided the death penalty and was sentenced to life in prison instead.
The pair beat, cut, and disfigured Slemmer, with Pike even obtaining a piece of Slemmer’s skull in a brutal and callous attack, which would leave Slemmer dead. Another friend, Shadolla Peterson, acted as lookout.
After Slemmer’s body was discovered by University of Tennessee staff, they reportedly found satanic symbols engraved into her skin, consequently leading to Pike receiving the death penalty.
Pike has long contested her conviction, with lawyers arguing that her death penalty should be downgraded to life imprisonment without parole.
In a last-ditch effort to have it overturned, a clemency petition was filed, citing several medical conditions as reasons for why the lethal injection would be potentially non-constitutional, though this appears to have been dismissed, with her execution set for Wednesday.
Pike has had several requests permitted, including being taken to the gurney by an all-female execution team. Now 50, Pike will be the first female executed in the state of Tennessee since 1819, and she could be the last, given the opposition to the death penalty.