May Martinez, the mother of Colleen Slemmer, has spoken out after witnessing the failed execution of Christa Pike in Tennessee. Martinez traveled from Florida to Nashville to watch Pike, who was convicted of murdering her 19-year-old daughter in Knoxville in 1995. According to Martinez, the execution did not go as expected, with Pike surviving two rounds of lethal-injection drugs. Speaking to NBC News, Martinez said witnesses were initially given little information and only learned that something had gone wrong after they were taken to an office and told Pike had been transported to a hospital. Martinez expressed anger toward Tennessee officials, saying they had “f***ed up,” and also claimed Pike showed no remorse during the ordeal. The execution began at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution at approximately 8 p.m., but the witness-room curtain was reportedly closed twice and media witnesses were temporarily asked to leave. Pike’s attorneys subsequently filed an emergency request to stop the execution and provide medical treatment, which a federal judge granted after learning medical personnel had begun treating her.

The circumstances have prompted questions about Tennessee’s execution procedures. The state’s protocol allows another injection when the first attempt fails, but reportedly does not explain what should happen if an inmate remains alive after a second attempt. Dr. Joel Zivot, an expert retained by Pike’s legal team, suggested she may not have reached a fatal concentration of pentobarbital and warned that delays in resuscitation could potentially cause brain injury. Tennessee’s Department of Correction defended its actions, saying officials followed the approved protocol and that the lethal-injection chemicals had consistently worked previously. Governor Bill Lee has ordered a comprehensive independent review into what happened, while another scheduled execution has been affected by the incident. The event was the second problematic execution in Tennessee this year, following difficulties locating a vein during Tony Carruthers’ May execution attempt. Before traveling to Tennessee, Martinez remembered Colleen as a young woman who loved computers, retro video games, and roller skating. “I am her voice,” she said, emphasizing that she continues to speak publicly for the daughter she lost.