Crime Stories with Nancy Grace - Death Row Inmate Christa Pike AWAKE, SPEAKING After Surviving Botched Execution | Crime Alert 10.08.26

Episode Date: October 8, 2026

Death row inmate Christa Pike's attorneys appear in court seeking an emergency order to preserve evidence after surviving two lethal injections in a botched Tennessee execution that left her severely injured. In New York City, investigators suspect foul play after a Bronx mother tragically died protecting her infant daughter when both were pushed from a high-rise building. Meanwhile in Arizona, an Arizona State University cheerleader faces misdemeanor charges following an arrest during which her attorney alleges police used excessive force and engaged in sexual misconduct. Sydney Silvagni reports. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed human. Crime alert, hourly update. Breaking crime news now. I'm Sidney. Attorneys for death row inmate Krista Pike, who survived Tennessee's attempt to put her to death via lethal injection last week,

appeared in Davidson County Chancery Court in Nashville on Wednesday as they fight an emergency legal battle to preserve all physical, written, and electronic evidence from her twice-batched execution. Pike has been hospitalized for nearly a week after being injected with two ostensibly fatal doses of pentobarbadol. On Tuesday evening, her legal team reported that she was finally conscious and speaking, though she faces a long prognosis while receiving medical care for severe damage to her arms. Her attorneys revealed that executioners made repeated attempts to establish intravenous access using at least seven needles,

leaving her arms swollen, burned, and severely blistered, with one needle bent at a 90-degree angle when removed. Calling her recovery medically unprecedented, Pike's lawyers filed an emergency motion accusing the Tennessee Department of Corrections of inflicting cruel and unusual punishment through deliberate indifference to basic medical needs and reckless disregard for established protocols. Pike was convicted and sentenced to death for the 1995 murder of Colleen Slimmer, a fellow student at a job training facility. Following the failed execution, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee suspended executions for the year, ordering a comprehensive review into state procedures,

while corrections commissioner Frank Strata announced his resignation following backlash. While Pike's defense attorneys are pleading with Governor Lee to commute her sentence to life in prison without parole, state leaders demand that her death sentence be carried out. In my opinion, the state of Tennessee needs to carry out the execution of criminal. Christopike for the horrendous and torturing murder that she did on Colleen back in the 90s. And that needs to be carried out in the state of Tennessee, regardless. Republican United States Senator Marcia Blackburn called for Tennessee to bring back the electric chair to deliver swift justice for victims. Meanwhile, Pike's defense counsel, Stephen Farrell, warned that the state must start telling citizens what it is doing,

stating that this torturous execution leaves questions Tennessee refuses to answer. More crime and justice news after this. An I-Heart Radio experience. Carly Pierce, live at the Opera House, October 16th. Win your way in to the exclusive IHeartRadio sound check party, an intimate pre-show performance and Q&A. And then stay for the full show. Lee Pierce, live in Toronto.

Enter now for your chance to win at iHeartRadio.ca. Stream Carly's new album, Honest Woman, available now. Heroing developments have surfaced in New York City, where investigators believe a 23-year-old mother and her eight-month-old infant daughter were intentionally pushed from a Bronx high-rise in the middle of the night. NYPD officers responded to the scene on Olinville Avenue in the Allerton neighborhood shortly after 3.30 Tuesday morning,

finding 23-year-old Nathali Ramirez, lying severely injured behind the building, cradling her baby girl. Investigators say Ramirez's maternal instincts prompted her to wrap her child in a tight embrace during the fall, shielding the infant and cushioning the impact. Ramirez tragically died after being rushed to the hospital while her infant daughter remains in critical condition. A witness in the building spoke with ABC 7, recounting hearing frantic screams from Ramirez's apartment immediately before the fall. I heard her yelling and screaming, please don't do this. It's my baby. You know, my baby is scared. Look at her face. And that's when the next thing you know, I hear her scream and I see something hit the ground. Former colleagues at LaShawn's consulting described Ramirez as a hardworking and radiant gem, while friends recalled her immense joy as a devoted new mother.

However, neighbors reported a troubling history of domestic disturbances at her apartment, including a terrifying incident earlier this year. year. It happened in January. He was kicking the door down. Although no arrests have been announced, surveillance video captured a man walking away from the high rise as emergency vehicles arrived. Deputies suspect the perpetrator currently lives inside the apartment building and are actively seeking Ramirez's boyfriend or ex-boyfriend for questioning. In Arizona, an Arizona State University senior and cheerleader is facing two misdemeanor charges following a July arrest in Tempe. that her legal team claims involved brutal police excessive force and retaliatory prosecution. 21-year-old Aaron Bonner was arrested around 1.45 in the morning on July 19th and is facing

charges of disorderly conduct and interfering with police. Defense attorney Benjamin Taylor disputes the police narrative, alleging that video evidence depicts an officer shoving Bonner into a police bicycle, tackling her to the ground, punching her directly in the face to inflict black eyes and touching her buttocks. Taylor states Bonner was simply trying to speak with officers and tell them her boyfriend did nothing wrong after police pushed him to the ground after leaving a restaurant. Tempe police offer a contrasting account in their report, claiming Bonner repeatedly intervened while officers broke up a fight and struck an officer on the left side of his face five or six times before the officer delivered a blow to her face to stop her.

While the Maricopa County Attorney's Office declined felony charges and an initial misdemeanor case was dismissed, Tempe prosecutors refiled new misdemeanor charges months later. Attorney Taylor argues these new charges represent a retaliatory tactic designed to prevent a civil lawsuit after Bonner reported being groped and battered by the arresting officer. Bonner was held in custody for nearly 24 hours before receiving hospital, hospital treatment and has pleaded not guilty ahead of her November 4th pretrial conference in Tempe

City Court as distraught family members and community supporters rally behind her. For more crime and justice news, be sure to join us for crime stories with Nancy Grace on Fox 1, YouTube, SiriusXM, and now streaming on 2B. With this crime alert, I'm Sidney Silvani. This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed human.