"Are you insane?": Matt Walsh reacts to prospect of freeing Christa Pike after she survives two doses of lethal injection

Am I Racist? Movie Premiere - Source: Getty
Am I Racist? Movie Premiere - Source: Getty

Matt Walsh has reacted to reports in favor of dismissing Christa Pike's death sentence. This comes after she survived two doses of lethal injection that are used for execution on Wednesday, September 30.

Christa Pike was convicted of killing Colleen Slemmer in 1995 and sentenced to death the following year. She, her then-boyfriend Tadaryl Shipp, Shadolla Peterson, and Slemmer attended the Job Corps vocational centre in Knoxville. The trio killed Slemmer due to alleged romantic rivalry and also branded a pentagram on her chest.

Following the trial, Pike was sentenced to death, and the execution attempt took place 30 years later, earlier this week. However, she survived the two doses of the lethal injection. The Tennessee Department of Correction stated (h/t The Guardian):

“The lethal ⁠injection chemical in the protocol has consistently been effective, and the protocol does not allow for additional procedures beyond what was carried ‌out this evening.”

Following this, The Spectator author Melanie McDonagh released a report, claiming that Christa Pike should be allowed to live. Political commentator Matt Walsh reacted to this on X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday, writing:

"Free her? Are you insane? She hasn’t even served out her sentence for the attempted murder she committed in prison, let alone the sadistic torture and murder of a young girl."

Walsh had previously spoken about Pike as well, when reports claimed that she had complained about solitary confinement. He wrote:

"She tried to kill another inmate in prison. And tried to escape at least once. And all of that after torturing a girl to death. But she still complains about being in solitary confinement. Absolutely incapable of self-reflection or accountability."

Meanwhile, it is unclear what will happen with Christa Pike now, but she is alive and currently undergoing treatment.

Also Read: Who is Christa Pike? Matt Walsh calls it "good news" as she is set to become first Tennessee woman to face execution in two centuries


More about the failed execution attempt of Christa Pike

According to Al Jazeera, Christa Pike was set to be executed on Wednesday, but a federal court temporarily put it on hold. However, with just one hour remaining before the deadline, the US Supreme Court gave the order for the process to continue.

The jail officers then injected the two doses of the lethal injection into Pike's arm. Tennessee uses pentobarbital injection to carry out the execution process. However, the 50-year-old was still breathing and snoring minutes after being injected.

Her lawyers filed a motion in court to stop the execution after this, stating in the documents:

“Ms Pike has not lost consciousness and still has a heartbeat and is audibly snoring."

They urged the court to stop the process, stating, “executioners had injected both syringes of lethal injection chemicals, and Pike is still alive and snoring.” She was later taken to a hospital and is being treated.

Notably, her lawyers had previously argued against the death penalty, claiming she was a teenager at the time of the crime. They also claimed that she had gone through terrible physical and sexual abuse as a child, including two r*pes.

However, the death sentence was eventually given. Had the process been completed, Pike would have been the first woman to be executed in around 200 years in Tennessee.


Also Read: Cause of death for Chad Lowe’s 13-year-old daughter revealed as suicide

Love movies? Try our Box Office Game and Movie Grid Game to test your film knowledge and have some fun!

Edited by Aditya Singh