Colleen Slemmer traveled from Florida to Tennessee to pursue her passion for technology, but the 19-year-old’s dream was tragically cut short in January 1995.
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She was lured by her classmate, Christa Pike, to an isolated area near Knoxville, where she was tortured and killed. Pike was found guilty and sentenced to death in 1996, while her boyfriend was also punished for his involvement in the crime.
Pike’s execution was scheduled for last week, following unsuccessful efforts by her lawyers to have the sentence changed. The procedure did not go according to plan and the condemned woman survived, bringing renewed attention to the case and the consequences it has left for the victim’s family.
May Martinez, Colleen’s mother, traveled from Florida to Nashville to witness the execution. She says that throughout this story, the focus has shifted to the perpetrator, while her daughter has been forgotten.
“Criminals receive so much attention. Why? She has been lost in this whole story … she has been forgotten,” Martinez told WBIR television, a CNN affiliate.
Colleen grew up in Orange Park, Florida, with her mother, stepfather and younger sister. Those close to her remember her as a loving, caring girl who was devoted to technology.
From a young age, she showed a strong interest in caring for children. Her mother, who had run a daycare center for 40 years, said Colleen enjoyed looking after children and spending time with them.
“Colleen loved activities. She cared for children and liked doing everything that involved them,” Martinez told WVLT.
The 18-year-old was also active in the community at the time. She volunteered at Special Olympics events, where she helped children with disabilities and autism. According to her mother, during lunch breaks Colleen fed them, played with them and stayed with them.
Teachers described her as quiet and sweet, while her family admired her independence and desire to build a future in the computer field.
“She was passionate about computers. She and my husband were constantly building and taking them apart,” Martinez recalled to the Associated Press.
Her mother said Colleen trusted people, and that this quality ultimately became her greatest weakness.
Their last phone call took place on the night of the murder. The conversation was brief because of the poor signal. When Martinez tried to contact her again, her daughter did not answer.
Phil Keith, Knoxville’s former police chief during the period when Pike was convicted, said the details of the crime still remain in his memory.
“I’ve seen a lot of things, and they have become etched in my brain and my memory. I will never forget them,” he told WVLT.
Martinez and her husband traveled from Florida to Nashville to attend the execution. In the witness room, the mother held a photograph of Colleen.
After the curtains to the execution chamber were closed, the witnesses were asked to leave. A short time later, Martinez learned that Pike had been taken to the hospital because something had gone wrong during the procedure and she had survived.
Martinez told WTLV television that she felt the situation represented a failure by the state toward her family.
“I believe the state owes me a very big apology,” she said about the failed execution.
Other Tennessee residents have also criticized the costs of the case and the continued attention given to Pike, calling for the victim not to be forgotten.
For May Martinez, the years have not lessened the pain. She says not a day or minute goes by without her thinking about her daughter.
“The holidays are the hardest,” she told the Associated Press.
Last month, Colleen’s family commemorated her birthday. If she were still alive, she would have turned 51.
Martinez wants her daughter to be remembered, beyond developments related to Christa Pike’s sentence, for who she was: a young woman with dreams, who loved children and was passionate about technology, whose life was tragically cut short.
