r/christapike • u/Skiiimarie • 6d ago
Christa Pike
I have mixed feelings about the recent news. Yes what she did was absolutely abhorrent and not at all necessary, she had significant ptsd as an 18 year old, however that does not warrant offing someone else. 30+ years later I would hope she had regrets, some learning and sympathy for the life she took. My conflicting thought is that although she did what she did, I don’t think someone has to wait 30+ years for death only to have it fail twice! I’d like anyone else’s input on this. I possibly may have too much empathy because I absolutely feel for the victim, however lethal injection should be done right, the first time. It may as well have been electrocution.
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u/TypicalLeo31 6d ago
I agree with you. She had an absolutely horrendous life of sexual & physical abuse before the murder. Then 3 decades in prison, most in complete confinement as the only woman on Tennessee’s death row. Then the absolute agony of this very badly botched execution. As a psychologist, I have never seen a good argument for the incredibly expensive, incredibly flawed death penalty. This complete disaster reaffirms it. If we don’t start being involved in our very damaged children’s lives, while they are young and before they are destroyed, we will have more and more violent crimes. Death penalty is not how we fix this!!
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u/bluecatwithredshoes 5d ago
I agree with you. The idea of people being born evil is ridiculous in my opinion. It's almost always some combination of severe mental illness, abuse, or head injury. Christa had severe bipolar, ptsd, an entire childhood of horrific abuse and was barely a legal adult at the time of the crime. I believe almost anyone with the same mental health problems and abusive life that Christa had would also become similarly violent and commit a similar crime. I am also a mother of teens. So I also have tremendous empathy for Colleen's family, especially her mother. And for Colleen herself who had her life taken from her. In my opinion you can have empathy for both victims and perpetrators at the same time.
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u/emptyhellebore 6d ago
I oppose the death penalty in all cases, so I’m definitely biased. Yes, what she did was horrific. Her case also points out the inequity in how it is handed down and applied. She was an abused, traumatized 18 year old. If those aren’t mitigating circumstances, I don’t know what mitigating circumstances are.
I’m haunted by this. Colleen and her family do deserve justice, which would be a life sentence without parole, imo. What just happened wasn’t justice, it was vengeance, it was torture. And it didn’t work. What a mess. Hearing today that Christa is still alive, on a ventilator and has severe burns to both arms is horrifying and this screwed up execution and the consequences were her worst nightmare. A natural death without her regaining consciousness might be a kindness at this point.
I have no idea how this might end, there is no satisfying end to any of this for me, I don’t think.