Officials serving under Governor Bill Lee are reportedly in disagreement about the fate of Christa Pike, who was convicted 30 years ago for murdering Colleen Slemmer during a prolonged attack in 1995.
Lee paused all executions scheduled for the remainder of 2026 after Pike survived two doses of lethal injection administered under the Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC) last month.
Citing a source, NewsNation anchor and former CNN host Chris Cuomo claimed that a “faction” inside Lee’s office “thinks that this should be it in terms of trying to kill Christa Pike,” the outlet reported on Sunday.
The Tennessee Star contacted Lee’s office to confirm the reporting, to ask whether the governor is considering commuting Pike’s death sentence, and to clarify whether he has discussed the matter with U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), the Republican gubernatorial candidate to succeed him, but did not receive a response prior to press time.
Hours after the failure to execute Pike was reported, Blackburn called for the electric chair to be used as an alternative, and cited the suffering experienced by family members of victims, who sometimes wait decades for an execution to be carried out.
The senator reiterated her position on Saturday in Clarksville, where she joined President Donald Trump for a rally supporting Tennessee Republicans.
“Something else that’s important, Tennesseans support the death penalty,” said Blackburn. “When a heinous killer receives the death penalty, Tennesseans want to see it carried out successfully after all the appeals are exhausted. They do not want people to spend decades on death row.”
Tennesseeans do not want victims’ families to have to wait decades for justice. Once all appeals are exhausted, the sentence should be carried out swiftly. pic.twitter.com/n2OoEfKQxL
— Marsha Blackburn (@VoteMarsha) October 11, 2026
Trump also commented on the case earlier this month, describing the failure to execute Pike as difficult to comprehend.
Blackburn most recently reiterated her position on the death penalty during her Monday appearance on The Michael Patrick Leahy Show, when she promised to bring new leadership to TDOC if elected governor.
“You’ve got two options in Tennessee: you do lethal injection or the electric chair,” noted Blackburn.
“I’m going to bring the leadership to the Department of Corrections to get that thing straightened out, to make sure that we have good leadership and personnel at the department, and then the General Assembly will change whatever changes they want to make around policy, procedures, protocol,” she said. “But you can count on me to bring that leadership.”
Lee previously announced that he accepted the resignation of former TDOC Commissioner Frank Strada following the failure to execute Pike.
Watch Blackburn’s full interview with Michael Patrick Leahy, the editor-in-chief of The Star:
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Tom Pappert is a 2025 recipient of the Dao Prize and the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star. He also reports for the Star News Network. Follow Tom on X. Email tips to [email protected].
