Incompetence Executed: Tennessee Successfully Carries out Failure While Justice Remains Unserved
Tennessee’s botched execution of convicted murderer Christa Pike has ignited a debate over the death penalty, but one voice is asking a more fundamental question: Where is the justice for the victim? Jeff Crouere, political commentator, RAV Television Host, radio host on WGSO in New Orleans, and author, argues that the spectacular failure to execute Pike has compounded the suffering of the family of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer, whose brutal 1995 murder has now been followed by more than three decades of waiting.
- Christa Pike’s botched execution compounded decades of suffering
- Victim’s family deserves justice after 31 years of waiting
- Tennessee’s lethal-injection failures demand serious alternatives
- Convicted killers shouldn’t dictate their execution conditions
- Justice system must prioritize victims over convicted murderers
Pike was convicted of beating, torturing and killing Slemmer, with the killers carving a satanic symbol into her body. Yet when Slemmer’s mother, May Martinez, traveled from Florida to Nashville to witness Pike’s execution, the procedure failed after multiple attempts to administer lethal pentobarbital. Martinez reportedly watched Pike remain conscious, laughing and later breathing and snoring as the execution was abandoned. Crouere argues that the state owes Martinez an apology, as well as something more fundamental: justice.
For the record, Pike didn’t get justice either. She lived when the justice system ruled death was the just punishment.
Pike Getting all the Attention
The failure was not an isolated problem. Earlier this year, Tennessee also halted the execution of Tony Carruthers after prison staff could not establish an intravenous line. Gov. Bill Lee has now halted executions for the remainder of the year and ordered an independent review, while Tennessee Department of Correction Commissioner Frank Strada announced his resignation.
Crouere believes the Pike case exposes a criminal justice system that has become more concerned with the rights and comfort of convicted murderers than with the families of their victims. He argues that lethal injection has proven too difficult to administer reliably and says states should consider more dependable alternatives, including the electric chair, lethal gas and firing squads.
He also questions why Tennessee allowed Pike to dictate that her execution team be entirely female, asking when government officials began allowing convicted murderers to influence the procedures intended to carry out their sentences. Crouere believes the independent review should examine whether that accommodation contributed to the failure.
Meanwhile, Pike’s attorneys are seeking to have her death sentence commuted, potentially transforming a botched execution into a permanent escape from the punishment imposed for Slemmer’s murder.
Crouere can discuss why he believes America has created a system in which “justice delayed” has become justice denied; whether lethal injection should be abandoned; why victims’ families deserve greater consideration; and whether the death penalty can survive if states cannot reliably carry out lawful sentences.
He can also address the broader question now confronting Tennessee: After 31 years, who is the justice system actually serving—the victim, or the convicted murderer?
Related Articles:
Botched Execution Denies Justice for Victim
OPTIONAL Q&A:
- Why does the botched execution represent another denial of justice for Colleen Slemmer’s family?
- Should Tennessee abandon lethal injection after repeated failures to carry out executions?
- What should Tennessee’s independent review investigate about Christa Pike’s failed execution?
- Why did Tennessee allow Pike to dictate that her execution team be entirely female?
- Has America become more concerned with convicted killers’ rights than victims’ families?
- Should states consider the electric chair, firing squad or lethal gas instead?
- Could Pike’s botched execution ultimately allow her to escape the punishment she deserves?
- After 31 years, what would justice finally look like for Colleen Slemmer’s family?
ABOUT JEFF CROUERE…
Jeff Crouere is a popular political analyst, columnist and radio and television personality. Since January of 1999, he has been the host of Ringside Politics, an award-winning radio program in New Orleans dedicated to examining the top issues of the day on the local, state, national and international levels. The radio show airs weekdays from 7-9 a.m. & 6-7 p.m. CT on WGSO 990-AM, Wgso.com and the “Mixlr” Radio App. The Television version airs on Saturday Afternoons on Real America’s Voice (RAV)
Crouere provides regular commentaries at Townhall and on www.Crouere.net
TO SCHEDULE AN INTERVIEW, CALL OR TEXT 512-966-0983 RO EMAIL BOOKINGS@SPECIALGUESTS.COM
