Christa Pike, the Tennessee death row inmate who survived a disastrously botched lethal injection, remained alive but in critical condition Thursday evening, according to her attorneys.

At least seven needles were used to deliver two doses of pentobarbital, a drug normally intended to cause death, into the veins of the 50-year-old condemned prisoner on Wednesday night. One needle was reportedly bent when it was removed from her arm.

Witnesses said Pike complained of a burning sensation, gasped and snored during the procedure—but did not die.

Even so, I find it difficult to feel sympathy for Christa Pike.

My compassion remains with her victims.

On January 12, 1995, Pike, then 18, reportedly told friends that she had killed a girl, according to documents filed during one of her many appeals.

She told a classmate at the Knoxville vocational training school that she had lured 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer into the woods and cut her throat six times.

Prosecutors argued that Pike viewed Slemmer as a romantic rival.

Pike told a friend that Slemmer had pleaded with her and her boyfriend, but they ignored her. Pike later admitted to police that, armed with a box cutter and a meat cleaver, she slashed Slemmer across the back when the young woman tried to flee.

Investigators later determined that Pike’s boyfriend, who was also convicted of murder, carved a satanic pentagram into Slemmer’s skin.

The attack continued for an hour.

After returning to school, Pike allegedly boasted that she had repeatedly struck Slemmer’s skull with a piece of asphalt.

According to one witness, Pike smiled, danced in a circle and sang “la, la, la” as she described the horrific killing.

She then pulled a gruesome keepsake from her pocket: a fragment of Slemmer’s skull. The following day, Pike showed the remains to another girl and laughed about the blood on her shoes.

Among the journalists and members of the public who witnessed Wednesday’s attempted execution, more than three decades after Pike’s conviction for first-degree murder, was May Martinez, Slemmer’s mother.

Martinez is also a victim.

“I stood in front of that window and I watched her very, very carefully. I did not take my eyes off of her,” Martinez told People magazine. “I wanted her to remember who Colleen was and what they’ve done and never forget that thought, no matter where she goes.”

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Martinez said Pike has never apologized for taking her daughter. “She has no remorse. She’s never had any remorse in 31 years,” the grieving mother said. “We can’t get justice for my daughter.”

Again, I have no sympathy for Christa Pike. That she is being portrayed by some as a martyr makes me sick. Her lawyers are even now arguing that her entire sentence should be wiped away.

But I must ask: Is this what the pursuit of justice really looks like?

As a public commentator, I have long questioned the death penalty and, ultimately, as a libertarian and an Eastern Orthodox Christian, I have decided that no matter how cruel or evil one human being can be, it should not be up to the state to execute them.

To me, opposing the death penalty is not about sparing the depraved, it’s about weighing the benefits of vengeance against its cost.

To those who argue that some people cannot be rehabilitated, that some crimes deserve the ultimate punishment and that Pike must be killed to remove a public menace from society, I say: Let her rot in prison.

I want her to grow old and frail contemplating her miserable life. In some ways, death is an easy way out for her. And when it comes to forgiveness that’s not my call. I am a believer. God will deliver the final judgement for Pike.

Really, much of the country has already concluded that the death penalty is anti-American. Twenty-three states have outlawed the practice. Governors in another four additional states have halted executions, citing practical problems, like the difficulty of securing lethal injection drugs, as pharmaceutical companies have stopped producing them.

Even the states that continue executions are wavering. If they were so committed they’d just line the inmates against the wall and shoot them. But, of course, that would be uncivilized.

And what about the doctors who are hired to participate in state-sponsored killing? Don’t they violate their Hippocratic Oath to do no harm?

The Tennessee doctor who oversaw the botched killing of Pike, Dr Mark Fowler, a contractor for the state’s prison system, was also present at the state’s last flubbed execution of kidnap and murder convict, Tony Carruthers, in May.

The executioners in that case gave up trying to find a vein after several failed attempts and so Dr Fowler reportedly tried to establish a line to administer the drugs through Carruthers’s collarbone. That didn’t work either, yet Tennessee invites the Good Doctor back?

Which brings me to my final point, why in the world would a red-blooded American – a conservative, especially – grant the government the authority to kill its own people?

These folks can’t balance a budget, fill a pothole or agree on pretty much anything of substance, but we trust them with mortal vengeance? No thanks.

Now, because of Tennessee’s bungling, we will no doubt hear the name Christa Pike for weeks, as her lawyers, the state and the real victims argue over what’s to be done next.

But I say true justice for Colleen Slemmer and May Martinez is Christa Pike behind bars and forgotten – forever.

ITHACA — More than 100 Cornell University students, alumni, parents and faculty members voiced anger and frustration Thursday night during a meeting focused on the explosive Jane Doe gang-rape case. One student urged her peers to “fight like hell against the administration.”

Several members of the upstate New York campus community wept as they criticized Cornell’s handling of allegations made in 2024 by a former student identified as Jane Doe.

“Survivors need to know they’re supported … through this event, we’ve seen exactly the opposite,” said one student, who disclosed that she had been sexually assaulted two years ago.

“We need to fight like hell against the administration … to my fellow students, speak loud about the wrongdoings that have been done here on campus because if we don’t, we may never be able to again,” she said.

The student government hearing at the prestigious university, which has just over 16,000 undergraduates, came as Jane Doe’s allegations drew national attention this week. The case has raised questions about the response from Cornell, local law enforcement and prosecutors.

In a 101-page lawsuit, Jane Doe alleges that seven members of the Chi Phi fraternity took turns raping her for hours on Oct. 20, 2024, after reportedly giving her ketamine and alcohol. She reported the alleged assault to campus police on Nov. 8. Following a lengthy Title IX investigation, Cornell suspended and expelled some of the students. No criminal charges were filed, however, with prosecutors citing insufficient evidence.

At Thursday night’s meeting, students directed much of their anger toward Cornell’s administration.

“I think the administration should make a statement instead of hiding in Day Hall like the cowards they are,” one student said.

“All I can think about is Jane Doe … How many times did she have to pass her rapists in the hallway? It’s awful,” the student added.

A male senior said he “refuse[s] to accept a degree from a university who allows … people to be treated this way” and insisted that Cornell “has to be accountable within this year.”

“Otherwise there’s going to be an instruction from the top down to sexually assault and practice toxic masculinity,” he said.

The senior said the fraternity system as a whole “[has] a history of ritualizing sexual violence.” A professor and mother of a student called for stronger action, proposing that Cornell “crack down on fraternities on campus and get rid of the ones that consistently violate safety policies and foster other problems.”

A male freshman also criticized fraternity culture, describing one of his first campus experiences this year. He said he encountered another first-year student outside a fraternity house who “wasn’t allowed in” and had been left by her friends because she “didn’t want to suck a d–k.”

“I can’t even tell you how let down I feel,” a student’s mother said before breaking down in tears.

Though she said she was proud of the Cornell community and of Jane Doe, the mother said she was “disgusted that she had to file a civil lawsuit to make her voice heard.”

“We’ve been fighting rape culture my entire life,” said the mother, who turns 50 this year.

“You should be able to go to any college in the country and be safe,” she said. Another speaker added, “No woman should feel unsafe walking at the place where they are receiving their education.”

“They should not feel like all of the evidence and information they give cops won’t make it to the DA’s office,” she said, appearing to refer to a police transcript that the office of Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten said it did not receive. In the transcript, Jane Doe reportedly said, “I can say with 100% confidence that I was raped.”

Sophia, a student and member of the ACLU, said Cornell’s student body was facing “a mental health crisis right now.” She argued that students “should not be expected” to keep up with academic responsibilities “while they’re grieving.”

The mother and university professor said she had heard many attendees describe themselves as embarrassed and ashamed to be Cornellians. Even so, she said, “I’m so proud that my child is going here at a time when you all are trying to break the cycle.”

“I don’t want you to be embarrassed. I want you to see the change you can make and make it, because it’s systemic, cultural and it’s been around for a long time,” she said, choking up.

“You are less likely to get help from administrators,” she cautioned. “But I promise you there are faculty and staff on this campus who want to help you.”

“Use this anger…and get to work tomorrow,” she added.

New York Attorney General Letitia James said Friday that her office has launched an “active criminal investigation” into allegations of a gang rape at Cornell University in 2024.

James made the announcement after New York Gov. Kathy Hochul appointed her independent special prosecutor in the case.

“Every New Yorker deserves to know that when they report a crime, it will be investigated fully and fairly, that they will be seen and heard. That is the promise of our justice system,” James said.

“I stand ready to lead a process guided by the facts and the law,” she added. “In the coming months, my office will dutifully carry out the responsibilities the governor has conferred upon us in this executive order. We will review the facts, gather evidence, interview witnesses and, if warranted, pursue prosecutions. I know that you want answers. I do too.”

Hochul signed an executive order Thursday naming James special prosecutor, pointing to “serious questions about the investigation conducted by the Cornell Police Department and the decision by the Tompkins County District Attorney not to prosecute an alleged sexual assault on Cornell University’s campus in October 2024.”

A woman identified in court filings as Jane Doe filed a civil lawsuit in September alleging that seven members of Cornell’s Chi Phi fraternity sexually assaulted and raped her.

Doe’s complaint alleges that members of the fraternity’s Xi chapter “plied” her with alcohol and drugs until she became intoxicated, leading to her “being sexually assaulted and raped by members of Xi chapter’s regional fraternal organization at Cornell University.”

The Tompkins County district attorney previously reviewed the matter and decided not to file criminal charges.

In a Sept. 28, 2026 statement, the District Attorney’s Office said Doe’s sworn statement from November 2024 “did not allege that she was drugged against her will or gang raped.” Instead, the office said, the statement characterized her drug use and sexual conduct as voluntary, conscious and consensual. The office also said it could not have relied on allegations from a civil lawsuit filed nearly two years later.

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Cornell said in a statement to Fox News after Friday’s news conference that it “fully support[s] the appointment of a special prosecutor and efforts to change New York State’s rape law.” The university also said it would conduct an independent external review of how it handled the case.

The New York attorney general’s office and the Tompkins County district attorney’s office did not immediately respond to News Media’s requests for comment.

Hochul cited a New York Times report that said Doe told Cornell police she had been raped, but that allegation was omitted from the voluntary statement the department forwarded to prosecutors. “According to new reports, [Jane Doe] could not have been clearer that she was 100% confident that she had been raped,” Hochul said.

Hochul questioned why the allegation was not escalated to prosecutors and why Doe was not interviewed by the district attorney. “The attorney general then declined to pursue charges after reviewing that incomplete account and never interviewing her,” she said. “Think about that. In what world would the police learn from a victim that she’d been literally gang raped while intoxicated by five men in a fraternity house, and not elevate those allegations to the district attorney? In what world does the district attorney not even interview her or anyone else involved, or even request the full transcript?”

Matthew Van Houten, the Tompkins County district attorney, said he had not been told that the statement provided to his office was inaccurate or incomplete.

“I have never been contacted by Jane Doe’s attorneys. Not to inform me the original statement was inaccurate and not to ask me to reconsider our decision,” Van Houten wrote. He said he contacted Doe’s attorneys after the lawsuit was filed to ask about the differences between the original statement and the allegations in the complaint and to determine the appropriate next steps.

Hochul also said Cornell has reopened its own investigation alongside James’ criminal inquiry.

Hiring slowed sharply in September, falling well short of expectations as months of elevated inflation weighed on consumers and unsettled bond markets, according to the federal government’s latest jobs report.

U.S. employers added 29,000 jobs in September, down significantly from the 162,000 jobs created in August, data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics showed. Economists had forecast an increase of 84,000 jobs.

The unemployment rate edged higher, rising from 4.1% to 4.2%.

September’s job growth also fell below the average monthly increase of 45,000 jobs recorded over the previous 12 months.

Healthcare led all sectors in job creation, adding 17,000 positions in September. Even so, the increase was well below the industry’s average monthly gain of 33,000 jobs over the prior year, according to BLS data.

Manufacturing employment posted a modest gain of 9,000 jobs last month. The sector has now added 72,000 jobs since reaching a recent low in December 2025.

The jobs figures arrived several weeks after the Federal Reserve delivered its first interest-rate increase in three years. The move is intended to curb rising prices, but higher borrowing costs could eventually slow business investment and hiring.

The economy has also displayed other signs of pressure in recent months, including a selloff in bonds and renewed increases in oil and gasoline prices.

Consumer sentiment fell last month to a level near the lowest point ever recorded in the University of Michigan survey’s 74-year history.

Even with those challenges, the labor market has remained relatively resilient so far this year.

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The U.S. economy added roughly 80,000 jobs per month on average during the first eight months of the year, according to an analysis of BLS data by financial services firm Raymond James. That pace exceeded the firm’s projection of 70,000 monthly jobs gains for the period.

The war in Iran pushed gasoline prices higher and sent inflation to a three-year peak. Price pressures eased during the summer, but ongoing fighting has kept inflation well above prewar levels.

Annual inflation stood at 3.4% in August, the latest month available, leaving the rate more than a percentage point above the Federal Reserve’s 2% target.

The combination of persistent inflation and a durable labor market led the Fed to raise interest rates by a quarter of a percentage point last month.

Investors put the odds of another rate increase in October at 20%, according to CME Group’s FedWatch Tool, which tracks market expectations.

“The plain fact is that inflation is too high and has been for too long,” Fed Chair Kevin Warsh said at a news conference in Washington, D.C., last month.

The central bank’s policy could nevertheless weaken hiring and push the unemployment rate higher, although the effects of interest-rate changes typically emerge only after a delay of several months.

By several measures, however, the economy continues to show strength.

Gross domestic product expanded during the three months ending in June, defying concerns that the Iran war would trigger a downturn. Consumer spending, which represents about two-thirds of U.S. economic activity, climbed 0.6% in August from July, marking its biggest monthly increase since March 2025, government data released Wednesday showed.