What happens to Christa Pike's body after death row execution
Warning: This article contains child abuse and crimes which some readers may find distressing.
Christa Pike is set to be executed in Tennessee today.
Despite attempts to stop the 50-year-old's execution by lethal injection, it remains scheduled to take place on Wednesday (30 September) at the Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville, Tennessee.
Having refused her final meal, the teen killer will be the first woman executed in Tennessee in more than 200 years.
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At the age of 18, a judge said she carried out a ‘horrific’ and ‘brutal’ murder of Colleen Slemmer in Knoxville.
Pike and two friends lured the 19-year-old into the woods, where they beat, tortured, and killed her. Pike was sentenced to death at 20 years old in 1996.
Yet Mississippi’s first execution since 2012 raises questions about the body’s disposition.
If someone claims her body
In most cases, the state will release the body of an inmate to friends or family members. After prison officials notify a pre-designated family member or legal representative, they are given a set window of time to claim the body.
The individual or estate is then responsible for the body, funeral, burial and transportation costs.
If nobody claims her body
If nobody claims Pike’s body, Tennessee officials must try to contact her relatives and keep the body for 96 hours. After that, the state’s chief medical examiner has another 72 hours to decide whether to take responsibility for it.
The county would arrange for it to be legally buried or cremated, as Pike’s property could be used to cover the cost. If there is not enough money, the county would pay.
Although, Pike may already have arranged for someone to claim her body after her execution.
Why Pike is on death row
A University of Tennessee employee found Slemmer’s body on 13 January, testifying that they had ‘first mistaken it for the corpse of an animal’.
Tennessee Supreme Court docs obtained by news.com.au state that Pike ‘told her friend Kim Iloilo, who was also a student at the facility, that she intended to kill another student, Colleen Slemmer, because she 'had just felt mean that day'.
“Pike went to Iloilo’s room and told Iloilo that she had just killed Slemmer and that she had brought back a piece of the victim’s skull as a souvenir,” the documents state.
“Pike said that a pentagram had been carved onto the victim’s forehead and chest. Iloilo said that Pike was dancing in a circle, smiling, and singing ‘la, la, la’ while she related these details about the murder.
“When Iloilo saw Pike at breakfast the next morning she asked Pike what she had done with the piece of the victim’s skull. Pike replied that it was in her pocket and then said, ‘And, yes, I’m eating breakfast with it’.”
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence regarding the welfare of a child, contact the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000, 10am-8pm Monday to Friday. If you are a child seeking advice and support, call Childline for free on 0800 1111, 24/7.
Anish Vij