Blackburn Pushes for Electric Chair After Botched Execution

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Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) has called for the return of the electric chair as the primary method of capital punishment following a botched execution of murderer Christa Pike. Pike, who was convicted in 1996 for the brutal killing and defacement of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer, survived two rounds of lethal injections and was taken to a hospital for treatment. This marks the first time a woman has been scheduled for execution in Tennessee in over 200 years.

Blackburn’s Push for the Electric Chair

Blackburn, who won the Republican nomination for Tennessee governor in August and is expected to win the November election, has promised to bring back the electric chair if elected. Speaking on Thursday, she said, “This situation is tragic. Christa Pike should have been executed long ago. Now, this botched process is extending the pain for the family of Colleen Slemmer. While there should be a thorough review of what happened and why the process failed, the answer is simple: bring back the electric chair and deliver justice for these victims swiftly. As your governor, I will do just that.”

Tennessee’s Lethal Injection Challenges

Tennessee last used the electric chair for an execution in 2020, six years after the governor approved its use in cases where lethal injection was not possible. The electric chair was once a common method of execution in the state, with a peak in the 1930s when 47 inmates were executed by the chair.

Earlier this year, the state also faced a botched lethal injection execution for murderer Tony Carruthers in May 2026. After the procedure failed, Governor Bill Lee granted a one-year reprieve until May 2027. Lee recently ordered a pause on all statewide executions until the end of the year and directed an independent review of the Pike execution.

Pike’s Crime and Legal Battle

Pike, 18 at the time of the crime, committed the murder while attending the Knoxville Job Corps. She invited 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer into the woods with her then-boyfriend, Tadaryl Shipp. Pike cut Slemmer’s throat, struck her with a meat cleaver and a piece of asphalt, and carved a pentagram into her forehead and chest. She also kept a piece of Slemmer’s skull.

Pike’s legal team argued she should not receive the death penalty due to her history of sexual assault as a child. However, Governor Lee denied the request, and a federal appeals court temporarily blocked the execution just before it was scheduled to take place. The Supreme Court later cleared the way for the execution in a 6-3 decision.

Source: Daily Wire

Written by

Connor Davis