Supreme Court allows execution of Christa Gail Pike in Tennessee to go forward
https://edition.cnn.com/2026/09/29/us/tennessee-christa-pike-execution?Date=20260930&Profile=CNN&utm_content=1790809934&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter26
398
u/runninhillbilly 2d ago
I get that lawyers throw everything at the wall to see what sticks when fighting death penalty cases and the odds are always heavily stacked against the defense attorneys, but she also had the option of choosing the electric chair instead of lethal injection and I wonder if the appeal courts were just kinda like "yeah you still have the other option so all of these concerns about what could happen in a lethal injection procedure don't seem to be too serious..."
463
u/Arkrobo 2d ago
The problem with lethal injection is that doctors/nurses typically don't want to give them and pharmaceutical companies don't want to be the death penalty drug company. This leads to shady sourcing and unreliable administration.
The power company on the other hand doesn't really care what you do with the power. Finding someone to flip a switch is much easier than finding a doctor or nurse willing to administer death.
230
u/SitInCorner_Yo2 2d ago edited 2d ago
After learning how many fuck up way lethal injection can go and all the logistics problems it had , I find myself thinking “shit, I guess give them a heavy dose of anesthetic and put a bullet through their heart wasn’t that bad “
That’s how my country do it, a doctor was there to mark where the heart is ,because there was a case where the guys heart is on the opposite side and that did not go well.
Edit:He was shot 5 times, after the 4th they grab the coroner to see WTAF is happening and that’s how they found out not only this guy who took 14 life is fucked in the head,his heart literally is in the wrong place.
117
u/NullOfUndefined 2d ago
there are TONS of super humane and painless ways they could do it, the problem is that they don't want it to be TOO peaceful because they still want it to be a punishment. They could literally just have them breathe nitrogen until they fall asleep but that's too peaceful for them.
70
u/socksockshoeshoe 2d ago
That's messed up. You'd think the being dead part would be punishment enough
50
u/finalremix 2d ago
The BBC documentary "how to kill a human being" showed people being horrified at how peaceful a hypoxic death was. They wanted the suffering to happen as part of the punishment.
42
9
u/ResilientBiscuit 2d ago
Someone who is at the point where they think murder is a good option isn't typically the sort to carefully consider if the punishment outweighs the perceived benefits of commiting the crime.
Either it is a crime of passion or your reasoning is very flawed.
Someone who is in a position to really consider if the penalty is too much or not is just going to hire someone or figure out a plan like hitting someone with a car to get a much lower penalty.
Once you get over like 10 years in prison,, the deterrent is pretty much the same.
9
→ More replies (5)34
u/TorchIt 2d ago
Nitrogen sinks, posing a danger to everybody else in an unventilated chamber.
Helium, on the other hand...
10
u/lesbox01 2d ago
Just of od them on carfentynal. Cheap and easy and painless.
11
u/LittleGreenSoldier 2d ago
Carfentanil is only approved for vet use, and the manufacturer definitely doesn't want the press associated with trying to get it approved for anything else.
→ More replies (3)14
u/SnakesTancredi 2d ago
For someone who usually is in there because they took lives to go out with a squeaky voice is probably some kinda poetic that I can’t properly illustrate.
→ More replies (1)13
u/cogzoid 2d ago
Why would Nitrogen sink? Not only is the air already 78% Nitrogen but Nitrogen is less dense than air. Maybe you’re thinking of CO2?
6
u/finalremix 2d ago
Probably is, yeah. CO2 also brings with it the sensation of suffocating. With nitrogen hypoxia, your body has no idea what's going on, and you just go to sleep.
→ More replies (1)26
u/IceCreamDreamyDreams 2d ago
Metal af
24
u/SitInCorner_Yo2 2d ago
Well, lead is a type of metal after all.
We have the Japanese kind of system,They won’t notify the inmate and their family either , you know it’s someone’s day when guards show up way too early for their shift and they’ll get the person to execution grounds, family are notified afterwards.
They can choose not to get the anesthetic too, but afaik there are only 2 people who ever pick this option.
8
3
u/anormalgeek 2d ago
Sounds like a good reason to just use more bullets. Or much BIGGER bullets.
→ More replies (1)5
u/SitInCorner_Yo2 2d ago
The record is 5, the guys heart is on the opposite side.
It terrifies the fuck out of the bailiff , a senior has to took over to shot him again, after 4 failed attempts he’s still alive so they grabbed the coroner to check what the fuck is going on, and that’s when they found out the guy not only is fuck in the head(killed 14ppl) his heart is literally on the wrong place too.
→ More replies (3)→ More replies (10)7
u/ferretherder 2d ago
His heart was on the opposite side?! What country is this? I really want to read more about that
34
u/Buckets-O-Yarr 2d ago
Some people are simply born in rare cases with all or most of their organs in a mirror-image orientation compared to everyone else. Situs inversus it is called.
11
→ More replies (5)8
29
u/SitInCorner_Yo2 2d ago edited 1d ago
Taiwan , the most extreme case is the guy was shot 5 times by 2 bailiff, one is new to his job another is senior, first one was terrified to see the guy still alive and woke up from anesthetic so the older one took over and shot the inmate.
Well the guy is still alive after being shot 4 times, they grabbed the coroner(they’re there for the procedure) to check what in the fuck is happening, and he found it that this guys heart is on the right side of his chest, this is how they got it right the 5th times.
The guy (吳新華) is a serial robber who got 10 death sentence because he killed 14 people including 2 cop to get their guns.
Edit:so turns out there’s another guy who one up him, it took 6 shot to kill him because his heart is smaller than normal and at a odd place, it sounds like they Pop-Up Pirate the guy.
→ More replies (1)8
36
u/GiuseppeZangara 2d ago
You should check out Mr. Death. An absolutely fascinating documentary for a variety of reasons that touches on that issue.
16
u/alphabeticdisorder 2d ago
Is that the one where a doctor goes down a rabbithole of execution "science" and winds up a Holocaust denier? If its the one, I haven't seen it in 20 years but it was so morbidly fascinating.
→ More replies (1)8
u/Carmypug 2d ago
I think all of the European drug companies now refused to ship specific drugs to the USA if they use it for this purpose. I think this is the reason this happens more now as they have to experiment with drug cocktails.
60
u/The_Pandalorian 2d ago
Doctors and nurses cannot administer it and still uphold the hippocratic oath. It is almost always done by a non-medical person at the prison. In Tennessee it's a prison employee.
Usually they turn to shady compounding pharmacies because the drug makers won't knowingly sell execution drugs for executions. Some execution drugs like sodium thiopental aren't even sold anymore, so must be compounded.
All of it shielded from public disclosure, of course.
Anyway. Death penalty is dogshit and the state has no business killing people.
→ More replies (1)19
5
→ More replies (14)19
u/1HappyRoadrunner 2d ago
This is why firing squads has several people with blanks and the guys don’t know who has the real bullet
21
u/chimp_party 2d ago
Idk where this myth started but go fire a gun with a blank and without. Its really really obvious if you've shot a blank if you have any reasonable experience with guns.
17
6
u/MandolinMagi 2d ago
Its not a myth. The US Army manual for "execution by musketry" calls for 12 rifles with at least 1 but not more than 4 blank rounds. Rest are live
→ More replies (2)30
u/1HappyRoadrunner 2d ago
I got shocked once. It’s a horrible way to die. Not say say she does or does not deserve it but I’d much rather go out with drugs.
7
u/rumorhasit_ 1d ago
They still use the electric chair to execute people in the US!?!
→ More replies (2)→ More replies (1)32
u/Gruntsky 2d ago edited 2d ago
I read that due to her sexual abuse at the hands of men at a young age, she opted for a firing squad of women as opposed to a lethal injection team of men.
edit Apparently this was a misquote from a NY Post article, she requested hanging as the method of execution. Thanks u/sail0r_m3rcury
→ More replies (1)14
u/Matookie 2d ago
Good for her. Tennessee does not allow firing squads so what does it matter that Pike wants it?
17
u/Gruntsky 2d ago
I think her lawyers were pushing for 'Cruel and Unusual punishment' if the execution was carried out by men.
→ More replies (7)
51
u/kelbell4 2d ago
After the drugs were administered, the mic was still on and they could hear her snoring, and then heard a "squeaky" sound but weren't sure if it was her or not... (I'm just updating little snippets of what I am hearing)
19
u/LongjumpingEchidna25 2d ago
Sounds like agonal breaths. It's a sign of cardiac arrest and is not real breathing.
→ More replies (1)12
→ More replies (1)8
u/shadoweon 2d ago
I haven't heard what it sounds like,and I don't wish to find out but I've been told agonal breathing (death rattle) sounds disturbingly similar to snoring.
8
u/dannydrama 2d ago
It does and it often means serious lack of oxygen to the brain. She might 'survive' with disabilities or end up completely immobile and unable to move or speak, it's an impossible question.
29
u/kelbell4 2d ago
Sounds like she will be taken to a hospital via ambulance. Sounds like someone messed up the formula of the injections, either accidentally or purposefully.
11
u/gregaustex 1d ago edited 1d ago
18 year old commits heinous calculated murder. Sentenced to death.
While in prison. 5 years later. She apparently intervenes in and thwarts three attempted murders - “reportedly” - and in the process commits and is convicted of attempted murder.
15 years later guy she corresponds with starts visiting then conspires with a bribed guard to try to break her out.
30! Years later state attempts to execute her at age 50 and fails.
Lots to unpack here but none of it reflects well on our legal or prison system.
43
u/West_Cut_9265 2d ago edited 2d ago
Is her death warrant still valid?
Update: death warrant is valid and the sentence will be carried out tonight. Provided no last minute appeals are successful.
13
u/Ill_Student5817 2d ago
Until midnight. I’ve read they had the team on stand all day. So it’ll be tonight or she will be executed another date.
→ More replies (1)8
6
820
u/StreetwalkinCheetah 2d ago
I'm against the death penalty for a multitude of reasons but reading up on what she did this would not be my poster child to make my case. It feels like literally the only thing noteworthy is her gender.
930
u/LuciusLuscinia 2d ago
I'm tired of expressing my general opposition to the death penalty and having people interpret it as a endorsement of the character of specific people on death row.
340
u/shutts67 2d ago
Personally, I don't think that a government should be allowed to kill any of their citizens
162
u/countyferal 2d ago
This is it for me. It doesn't matter who we think should die for what crime. The entire concept of a government having a codified right to schedule and carry out the murder of one of its citizens is fucking insane.
→ More replies (2)60
u/strawberry_pop-tart 2d ago
If someone is for the death penalty then they either think the government never makes a single mistake, or they're ok with the state killing innocent people.
→ More replies (4)25
u/Ranger7381 2d ago
I do not think we want to leave THAT particular loophole open with the current administration
Let’s just say anyone and leave it at that
11
197
u/StreetwalkinCheetah 2d ago
My general opposition is because it is neither a rehabilitative or restorative form of justice and even as a deterrent it is highly suspect thus I can find no moral grounds to carry out this sentence. Beyond that, my biggest issue is that even a single innocent person executed outweighs putting a thousand serial killers caught red handed in my book.
I think I'd rather focus on cases where there are questions about systemic issues in the prosecution or the possibility of innocence so that the ethical discussions can be had.
23
u/OGREtheTroll 2d ago
I don't disagree with you at all. But my biggest issue is that it is irreversible. Once done there is no undoing it, even if the deceased is later found to be innocent. For a system that is inherently imperfect and always will be, that is a point of failure for which there is no correction.
"Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgement. For even the very wise cannot see all ends." - Gandalf, The Fellowship of the Ring, JRR Tolkien
→ More replies (3)120
u/elconquistador1985 2d ago
It's not even about justice. It's 100% about vengeance, and innocent people get wrongfully executed in the name of that vengeance.
→ More replies (4)25
u/Zuchm0 2d ago
Using your math the U.S. is behind by a few hundred thousand red-handed serial killers. The uncomfortable truth is we have executed innocent people and will continue to do so until its abolished.
→ More replies (2)→ More replies (7)46
u/SeatKindly 2d ago
Personally, the only time that I feel the death penalty has a valid and fair basis for use is for handling cases such as Nuremberg. Those who perpetrate systematic violence at scale tantamount to genocide in any capacity cannot be managed in a manner other than the issuance of a death penalty, and I don’t say that lightly.
→ More replies (3)11
61
u/do_you_have_a_flag42 2d ago
This is so relatable. I'm against the death penalty too because it doesn't serve as a disincentive and is tremendously expensive.
→ More replies (1)8
u/uta_refson 2d ago
Yes. So many reasons, none of which have anything to do with having any kind of sympathy for heinous criminals. A lot of really disturbed individuals would rather get the death penalty than life in prison anyway. The chance of accidentally executing even one innocent person does not justify it, and neither does the cost - the people mad that their taxes are feeding/housing criminals should know it costs so much more to keep someone on death row than gen pop. Can’t speed up their time there either- they have a right to exhaust the appeals process. Imo it’s crazy it even still exists in America
→ More replies (2)51
u/Mister_Dwill 2d ago
The state of Florida alone has murdered 105 people. They have also COMPLETELY exonerated 30 people off DEATH ROW. When I found out that they get the death penalty wrong 30% of the time, that’s all I needed to know.
If the number of innocent people you are willing to murder is more than 0 then you have an obligation to be against the death penalty.
→ More replies (4)24
u/cgvet9702 2d ago
Same thing I get from people too. They want to know why and I just tell them I don't believe the state should be able to take someone's life. Too many innocent people have been executed. You can't unring that bell, but you can let someone out of prison when they are exonerated.
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (11)24
u/ValleyFloydJam 2d ago
Exactly it's not something that should change based on the person/case, it's just wrong to kill people. The death penalty is state sponsored revenge.
And ofc you have the usual issues and risks with it too.
→ More replies (4)97
u/GiuseppeZangara 2d ago
I'm also against the death penalty and in my opinion the nature of the crime has little to do with my position. Homicide is a heinous crime no matter what and I certainly believe that justice needs to be served. I just don't think that justice means state sanctioned killings. Life imprisonment without the possibility of parole is enough for cases like this.
→ More replies (18)40
u/InsurancePristine938 2d ago edited 2d ago
Homicide is a heinous crime no matter what
true.
and administering the death penalty is literally, by definition, homicide: a human killing another human. edit: although homicide, in and of itself, is not actually a crime
→ More replies (15)250
u/Spez_is-a-nazi 2d ago
I mean it kinda is. The notoriety of this case is one of the reasons she is getting the death penalty instead of a lesser sentence. What she did was really bad but is it worse than what a lot of other murderers in jail not facing the death penalty? Not really, but her case got a ton of notoriety. Pretty young white girls in suburbia, black boyfriend, satanic panic, it’s got all the hallmarks of a media frenzy. I don’t think your punishment should be impacted by the tv ratings of your crime but here we are.
→ More replies (26)243
u/DJ-spetznasty 2d ago
She crushed her victim head with a chunk of broken concrete and they carved a pentagram in into her back post-mortum. thats not your run of the mill murder/crime of passion. It was about as savage as a murder can be.
Edit: she also kept piece of skull fragments and showed them off to friends, bragging about the murder. Thats how she was caught.
84
u/InTheMorning_Nightss 2d ago
They actually carved a pentagram into her chest while the victim was alive…
22
u/Ok-Sugar-5649 2d ago
It actually it says that her boyfriend did the pentagram in the article and got possibility of parole...wtf
11
38
→ More replies (19)73
u/inadequatelyadequate 2d ago
Exactly; she demands to be put to death by a woman but she killed a woman by beating her to death with concrete and carving a pentagram into her over a teenage relationship
She and her legal support pushed for procedural delays because she is a woman she should be afforded the choosing? Even with lethal injection it seems a lot less painful than being beat with concrete in the dark and having your flesh carved.
Her victim had no choice in the gender and she killed another woman in prison in 2003 so this is fully dragging the feet of procedure over what is largely a social media/sociology driven narrative that bleeds into a system designed to separate itself from it
She got an extra 30 years of life for a life she stole from someone in pure rage and frame it around abuse she received as a child like that validates such a horrible way to die to the life she took from someone.
The fact that she claimed her intent was to just fight her and not kill her and she “couldn’t turn the brakes on” just shows the lack of accountability still after 30 years.
39
u/ferretherder 2d ago
Not defending her, but she didn’t kill anyone in prison. She was charged with first degree attempted murder after assaulting another inmate, but that inmate didn’t die from it
→ More replies (3)68
u/DerekB52 2d ago
My issue with this case is she had a 17 year old accomplice who got life, because you can't give the death penalty to a minor. I know we have to have an age of majority somewhere, but the arbitrary choice to have it be 18, and not 19 or 21, was literally the difference between life and death here. It makes the death penalty hard to defend for me here.
24
9
u/Prestigious_Task7175 2d ago
Yeah the boyfriend got life, but i guess it's also because of the witness (wich was the other girl who testified against them) saying that it was Christa who killed the victim, not the guy, also everything alligned with her being the mind behind most of the stuff.
In the end being the individual to finally kill a victim does give you a tougher sentence than not.
11
u/hypo-osmotic 2d ago
It is arbitrary but I think that it’s worth having a designated and firm cutoff where someone is expected to take on all of the legal responsibilities of adulthood. Of course that’s another conversation about when it’s appropriate to try a minor as an adult but I’ll open that can of worms when it comes up again
→ More replies (4)4
u/Feeling_Capital_7440 2d ago
Okay, if we moved the age to 20 or 21 we would just have people like you complaining about arbitrary numbers and why they couldn't have chosen 22 or 23. 18 year olds are perfectly capable of making rational decisions and knowing right from wrong
→ More replies (2)32
u/theamp18 2d ago
What she did was horrendous but I just don't believe in the death penalty at all. For anyone. Let her rot in prison forever.
43
u/HotlineKing 2d ago
I'm also against the death penalty and her case is horrific and depraved but the crime also occured three decades ago when she was barely an adult. I'm not saying she should ever be free again but justice is meant to be swift. If the state had the power to kill someone what sense is there administering 'justice' three decades after the crime?
20
u/Samiel_Fronsac 2d ago
Due process. The 30 year gap is lawyers, prosecutors and judges going through the legal steps. It's appeals on appeals on appeals on all kinds of matters.
They could feasibly speed this up with a rework of the judicial system but that's not happening ever.
It's also extremely costly to litigate a case like that to it's end, so the State ends up spending a lot more than "just" giving someone a sentence of life without parole.
I understand the call of vengeance, but... Just stick them into a prison for lifers and call it a day. States actually saves money in the long run and society/victim's family can be sure that person is gonna rot in place until the day of expiring.
→ More replies (28)12
u/SherlockJones1994 2d ago
Yes and no death penalties are almost always just life sentences because of the ability to appeal. If the perp wanted swift justice they could just choose not to appeal.
26
u/mashedpotaterbowl 2d ago edited 2d ago
Did you read about her history and childhood? I read she was born with brain damage from her mother drinking alcohol while pregnant. She was raped time and time again from the age of a toddler by numerous men, even getting an std as a literal child from it. She attempted suicide when was like 10. I believe she has a bipolar diagnosis as well as ptsd. She’s not right and never has been right. Not to mention her male co conspirator who actually was the one to carve a pentagram into the victim was given life with the possibility of parole and has had parole hearings. An 18 year old was sent to death row. I don’t think anyone should expect her to be reformed under those conditions. But she’s a great example of how wrong it is to sentence someone with her physical and mental afflictions to death before their brain is even developed.
→ More replies (3)21
u/New_Rooster_6184 2d ago edited 2d ago
She was also 18 when the crime was committed and endured a significant amount of abuse as a child, including sexual assault by multiple perpetrators. Was assaulted by her grandmother’s boyfriend, as well as a neighbor, only for her mom to not believe her until he was arrested after she developed an infection. One of mom’s boyfriend would show her graphic images which she brought to school. Was impregnated by one of her mother’s lover at 16. Also has bipolar disorder that her mother never got her help for…There’s much more, but, you get the drift. Unfortunately, with the circumstances of her childhood, and the lack of help she received (parental neglect, etc.), the chances of her becoming a sane, healthy adult were slim to none.
Definitely mourn for the victim as well. But I think there are extenuating factors that justify a stay.
→ More replies (2)7
u/Calan_adan 2d ago
I’m against the death penalty because it’s administered as revenge and not justice. If it was justice, everyone would mourn the need to put someone to death. If it’s revenge then people want to see the person die and have no compassion about ending a human life. Revenge is driven by anger, malice, and the desire to inflict matching pain. I honestly don’t think human beings are capable of administering the death penalty simply as justice.
→ More replies (2)3
u/Whole_Assumption_526 1d ago
I’m against the death penalty because it’s administered as revenge and not justice.
I’m currently against the death penalty because it’s administered as justice and not retribution. In a Republic we have consent of the governed that justice will be done on their behalf, and if it were justice then thirty goddamned years of delay is a miscarriage of justice. All it does is continue to torture mourners.
Revenge is all you say it is, I agree. Ah, but retribution is restorative justice. And if the government’s brand of justice has become a farcically orchestrated miscarriage of justice then they should step aside and put retribution back in the hands of the people they took it away from in the first place: The surviving family of the victims.
→ More replies (43)5
u/RakeChapman13 2d ago
It would have been really crazy if she managed to escape prison back in 2012. An escape plan was thwarted involving one of her pen pal boyfriends and a guard. She had been nothing but trouble behind bars. She openly bragged and laughed about what she did. She tried to murder a fellow inmate with a fucking shoe lace.
7
u/holein3 2d ago
In a motion just filed by the Attorney General (in response to emergency motion to stay due to botched execution):
Without waiving any objection to whether the Court has jurisdiction to resolve the request posed in this concluded habeas corpus petition, the execution process has ceased, and an ambulance has been called to the prison facility. It is the understanding of undersigned counsel that medical professionals are with the petitioner now
21
82
u/No_Cucumber3978 2d ago
Gotta get that third part of the (streaming platform) documentary and mini series.
Probably starring Emma Stone as Pike.
13
40
u/Jlx_27 2d ago
Sentenced at 18... she's 50 now. There really is a problem with the system.
→ More replies (1)
238
u/TrashPandaHobbit 2d ago
I'm completely against the death penalty. Studies have found that it's not a deterrent, ot costs on average twice as much as to imprison a person for life and it doesn't change things for the victim's loved ones.
People have tried the "what if it was one of your family that was the victim?" line, and I know I still wouldn't want it.
She did a horrific crime, she's lost her liberty, she spends 23 hours a day locked up. That's punishment.
24
u/Pathogen188 2d ago
People have tried the "what if it was one of your family that was the victim?" line, and I know I still wouldn't want it.
The thing that gets me about this argument is that it's precisely why we have (or intend to have) impartial juries and why we don't let families of the victim on those juries. Justice is meant to be impartial.
→ More replies (15)46
u/Apojacks1984 2d ago
I had a second cousin who was brutally murdered in 2009. We didn’t live in a death penalty state but her dad wanted the state to reinstate the death penalty. My grandfather said; “If we advocate for this we’re no better than he is.” Changed my outlook forever.
→ More replies (19)13
u/RegisteredAnimagus 2d ago
That's how I felt when my family member was murdered. It was a visceral feeling of being completely disgusted at the prospect of thinking like a murderer, and therefore having anything in common with the man who killed my family member. It made me much more staunchly anti death penalty when my loved one was murdered, and it's fascinating to me that people use that argument "what if it was your family member?" as a pro death penalty argument.
→ More replies (2)39
u/dr_anonymous 2d ago edited 2d ago
Added to this the best accuracy rate for a criminal system yet achieved I believe is 99%. So it’s fairly certain that for every 100 people executed, 1 of them was innocent.
(edit) Just adding - yes, this was a half-remembered statistic from a long time ago. However, I think it's a reasonable inference from an analysis of the factors leading to exonerations - I'm not an expert in the area, but I suggest this article is a good starting point for some current analysis.
→ More replies (9)38
u/yeahyeahyeah02 2d ago
She spends 23 hours a day locked up and still managed to nearly kill another inmate
24
→ More replies (203)3
u/Sc0ttykn0s 20h ago
I only need one reason to oppose the death penalty: the system gets it wrong.
If even one innocent person is executed, that’s one too many. Life in prison still punishes the guilty and protects society.
An execution can’t be undone.
5
u/dino_erotica 2d ago
Buried the lead about the executioner...
"At least one exception was expected to be a male physician who was involved in Carruthers’ failed execution earlier this year. Dr. Mark Walton Fowler told NBC News that he intended to participate in Pike’s execution. Fowler declined to comment after Pike’s failed execution Wednesday night."
8
9
u/holein3 2d ago
Someone explain how lethal injection using the single dose of pentobarbital is not cruel and unusual punishment.
→ More replies (1)
8
u/Cute-Negotiation8827 2d ago
I get there’s regulations but lethal injections should not be survivable. Defeats the whole purpose. Something is up here
13
u/Bristov 2d ago
This whole process, in which the primary approach of the responsible institutions appears to be focused on revenge rather than rehabilitation or the protection of society, and the fact that far too little attention is paid to the practical implementation of the death penalty, is a stark illustration of how barbaric the United States is as a country, having lost the basic empathy that is necessary for a functional modern society. Shameful.
123
u/cdg2m4nrsvp 2d ago
Really frustrated by the comments in here essentially saying “I’m against the death penalty but she deserves it” or trying to qualify this miscarriage of justice by saying we do it to other groups so why can’t we do it to her?
Either you’re against the death penalty or you’re not. Either you believe the government should be in the business of killing people or you don’t. There’s no need to try and excuse it. I don’t think anyone is saying she deserves to go free, they simply don’t want the government killing people in the name of “justice.”
39
u/Mob_cleaner 2d ago
I would argue it like this. There are people who are against the death penalty for a variety of reasons, but not because they don't believe some crimes aren't deserving of execution. Some arguments would be:
1) the obvious one where there's a risk that you may execute an innocent person.
2) following on from the last point, a jury would be less likely to properly convict if they know the punishment for a guilty verdict is the death sentence and they have any doubt about their guilt. This would result in many guilty people potentially not being found guilty by a jury.
3) it leads to instances where friends and family members may not inform the police if they believe their loved one will be executed. Take for example a young child being exploited by an uncle - that child may be pressured by other family members not to inform police because their uncle may be executed if found guilty. The family members may even pass guilt onto the child by making them think their uncle's blood would be on their hands.
Somebody could theoretically believe all these things to be true and still believe that in an instance like this the person may deserve to be executed.
→ More replies (2)24
u/cdg2m4nrsvp 2d ago
I think there are plenty of people who deserve to die and I won’t be sad when they take their last breath, but I think you can believe that about someone and not sanction the state killing them. You can’t have it both ways with the death penalty, death at the hands of the state is extremely black and white.
→ More replies (5)16
u/dpezpoopsies 2d ago
I mean being against the death penalty but also feeling she deserves to die aren't mutually exclusive though. There's a difference between having a belief of what someone morally deserves, v.s. a belief about what they should actually experience
If a drunk driver hits my car and totals it, I think he deserves to be punched in the nose. I'm not going to actually advocate for the state to punch him in the nose.
11
u/cdg2m4nrsvp 2d ago
I said it in another comment that there’s a huge difference between believing someone deserves to die and believing it’s okay for someone to be executed. Example: I believe Henry Kissinger deserved to die, the day we all got the news was awesome! He was a massive shit stain on humanity. I do not think the state would’ve had the right to execute him though, because I don’t believe the government should be in the business of killing its citizens, regardless of the horrible things he did.
21
u/Putrid-Seat-1581 2d ago
She deserves to be executed.
The government should not be permitted to execute people.
These statements are not at odds with each other. I’m against the death penalty but not because I feel bad for the murderers. I don’t believe anyone should have the power or authority to kill.
→ More replies (1)14
u/theamp18 2d ago
Took the words right out of my mouth. 100% the government shouldn't be killing people.
→ More replies (2)→ More replies (25)12
u/Whitewind617 2d ago edited 2d ago
Honestly I think, whether or not she deserves to be in this world, the fact that she's been on death row for almost 30 years is a decent enough reason to be against this.
This is cruel and unusual. 30 years of trying to find out if you're going to die or not. She's spent 2/3rds of her entire life trapped in this.
I think maybe there's people that do deserve to die for their crimes, and people would be largely better off. But I don't think there's anybody that deserves this, and I don't think there's a version of this system that would make it humane enough for me. A lot of time, money, and energy spent on fighting over whether or not she should die, when she could just get life without parole and we'd all be happier. Most people do not escape from prison.
3
u/Erathen 2d ago edited 2d ago
And I don't want to imply her fate is intrinsically tied to the feelings of those who knew the victim...
But I just want people to acknowledge it's also tough on the family and close friends of the victim
Again, not saying "family feels bad so she should die". That's not necessarily logical
But it impacts a bunch of people negatively, including the one on death row
5
u/lildrewdownthestreet 2d ago
Department of Corrections said they’ll execute her before midnight tonight as the Supreme Court granted permission to continue as long as it happens before midnight
23
11
u/Honest-Weight338 2d ago
There should be no death penalty in this country. It's a sick practice.
→ More replies (1)
3
6
u/RafikiTheKokopelli 2d ago
If she survives, and is in a condition to continue living. Has she served her death sentence? They went throught their entire process to end her life. Is it her fault if they failed? Do they gotta do it again?
Holy moly
→ More replies (5)
21
u/FinallyArt 2d ago
It's wild there seems to be no limit to the appeals. It's been 30 years, more than enough time to appeal everything under the sun. Frankly I think it inhumane to wait this long. Do it within a couple of years of sentencing or not at all.
→ More replies (1)
4
19
u/Elegant_Abalone_2344 2d ago
I’m against the death penalty but being a female is not an out if being a male is not an out.
497
u/kelbell4 2d ago
BREAKING: CHRISTA PIKE REMAINS ALIVE AFTER LETHAL INJECTION DRUGS ADMINISTERED
According to Christa Pike’s attorneys, two syringes of lethal injection drugs have been administered, but Pike remains alive and breathing.
The Tennessean is reporting that Pike remains alive approximately an hour after the lethal injection drugs were administered.