Pike, 50, is scheduled to die by lethal injection on Wednesday morning, marking the first time the state of Tennessee has executed a female inmate in more than two centuries. For a condemned prisoner entering the final day of a death warrant, the ticking clock transforms into an intensely scrutinized countdown dictated entirely by Department of Correction policy. 

Last year, the Tennessee Department of Correction released a redacted version of their Lethal Injection Execution Protocol, which provides an insight into Pike's final days. 

Tennessee's 'death watch' protocol 

The final phase of a death row inmate's sentence begins with transfer to a dedicated deathwatch cell - an isolated, sparse holding area located just paces away from the execution chamber. Inmates placed under deathwatch are stripped of standard privileges, monitored by designated corrections officers in Continuous Observation Logs, which record 'all daily activities' of condemned inmates. 

Tennessee protocol usually requires that inmates remain under this intense observation for 14 days. However, Slemmer's legal team argued this would be psychologically harmful for her. The state gave a concession that Pike would be moved to the Riverbend Maximum Security Institution just 24 hours before her execution, and only be observed by female staff given her history of sexual abuse. 

The final meal 

For most capital inmates, the day before an execution involves the routine ritual of ordering a personalized final meal. Pike, however, opted out of the tradition entirely, with state officials confirming that she declined to request any customized food. 

Her final day follows the total collapse of her administrative appeals. Tennessee Governor Bill Lee formally denied her petition for executive clemency on Monday, leaving Pike to face the reality of the court's sentence without the possibility of political intervention. Christa Pike is currently scheduled to be put to death on September 30 (Tennessee Department of Correction) In personal correspondence sent ahead of the governor's announcement, Pike conveyed that she had mentally prepared for the outcome: “Whether my clemency is granted or not, I am at peace. I am not afraid to die. I’m only nervous about the process.” 

 

The process itself remains subject to unusual final requests. Pike petitioned the state to appoint an all-female team to carry out the lethal injection, arguing that the presence of men during the procedure would trigger severe psychological trauma rooted in her childhood abuse. Tennessee corrections officials indicated they would consider the logistical adjustment as preparations were finalized. 

Final visits 

Throughout Tuesday, deathwatch protocol permits scheduled telephone access to designated legal representatives, pastoral visits, and vetted personal contacts, which are described as 'non-contact'.

The women on death row in each state All visits are expected to have concluded 12 hours before the execution unless there's a special dispensation. 

The morning of the execution 

On Wednesday, final preparations in the lethal injection chamber will begin from 8am. Pike has resided on Tennessee's death row since 1996 following her conviction for the savage, premeditated torture and murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer in Knoxville. 

Slemmer's mother May Martinez has confirmed she will travel eight and a half hours from Jacksonville, Florida, to Nashville, and she is expected to arrive at the prison's administrative building no later than 9.15am on the morning of the execution. She told WBIR she plans to hold up a picture of Slemmer during Pike's execution to 'remind her of what she did'. She is set to be executed for brutally murdering 19 year old Colleen Slemmer back in 1995. (Inside Edition/ YouTube) The execution is scheduled to take place at 10am local time (Central Time) inside the execution chamber at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution. 

Under Tennessee law, inmates convicted of capital offenses committed prior to 1999 are afforded the legal choice between electrocution and lethal injection. With no alternative election made, Pike will be put to death via lethal injection. 

Once escorted into the sterile, octagonal execution suite, Pike will be secured to an institutional gurney with heavy leather restraint straps. An intravenous team will insert two peripheral lines into her arms before running lines through the chamber wall to an adjacent executioner room. Pike will be asked if she wants to make a final statement. 

Under the state’s current protocol, Pike will be injected with pentobarbital, a sedative that suppresses the inmate's breathing until they die. Official media, state representatives, and Colleen Slemmer’s surviving family members will observe the procedure through one-way glass in the adjoining witness gallery until an attending physician formally pronounces death.