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What happens when someone is sentenced to death, the execution goes forward, but the person doesn’t die? This week on...
When you walk into a death scene and see someone hanging from a tree, it would be easy to assume...
Four people found unconscious inside the same house. Three dead. One survivor. No obvious injuries, no clear explanation, and weeks...
When I first started looking into the death of two-year-old Barrett Walsh, one detail immediately stood out to me: his...
Sometimes a death scene seems to tell you exactly what happened. A child is found submerged in a swimming pool,...
The Lindsay Clancy trial has reached one of its most important moments. The witnesses are finished, both sides have made...
The Lindsay Clancy trial continues, and with each new day of testimony, the questions surrounding this case seem to become...
Last week, I took you through the devastating events of January 24, 2023, the night Lindsay Clancy’s three young children,...
On January 24, 2023, what began as an ordinary evening for a young Massachusetts family ended in an unimaginable tragedy....
When an entire family is lost, it’s easy for the headlines to focus on the person responsible. In this episode,...
When a murder ends in suicide, investigators lose one of the most important pieces of the puzzle—the person who could...
BONUS AUDIO: SHARED WITH PERMISSION FROM ALLIE’S FRIEND BONUS AUDIO: SHARED WITH PERMISSION FROM ALLIE’S FRIEND What happens when a...
What happens when someone disappears… after they’ve already died? In this episode of Pushing Up Lilies, I’m exploring one of...
In this episode of Pushing Up Lilies, I’m examining the heartbreaking murder of 32-year-old Caroline Piña Cairo, a mother of...
In this episode of Pushing Up Lilies, I’m covering the heartbreaking case involving Amy Steadman and the tragic family deaths...
In this episode of Pushing Up Lilies, I’m examining the disturbing case of Shawn Michael Grate, a serial killer whose...
Who am I, and how did I end up investigating death for a living? Originally released as Episode One, I’m...
Pushing Up Lilies
Dissect the science behind some of the most spine-tingling, unusual and terrifyingly true crime stories with Julie Mattson, a seasoned Forensic Nurse Death Investigator in this gripping weekly podcast.
Julie’s unique approach to investigations is informed by her background in nursing, which allows her to provide an in-depth analysis of the medical intricacies and physiological aspects of each case.
With her compassionate storytelling and unwavering dedication to uncovering the truth, Julie takes you on a thrilling journey into the world of forensic science, shining a light on the intersection of medicine, justice and criminal investigation.
In “Pushing Up Lilies,” Julie’s expert medical analysis will captivate your imagination and challenge your understanding of the human body’s role in solving the most complex and enigmatic criminal case.
What happens when someone is sentenced to death, the execution goes forward, but the person doesn’t die?
This week on Pushing Up Lilies, I’m talking about Christa Pike, who was convicted of the brutal 1995 murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer in Knoxville, Tennessee. Pike was just 18 years old when the murder occurred, and she has spent roughly three decades on death row.
I want to start by telling you about Colleen, what happened to her, and the evidence that ultimately led to Pike’s conviction. As a former death investigator, I look at cases like this through the physical evidence, the injuries, the witness statements, and what those findings tell us about a victim’s final moments.
But there’s another side to this story that raises some serious medical questions.
On September 30, 2026, Tennessee reportedly attempted to execute Pike using pentobarbital. According to the account discussed in this episode, she survived the procedure and was hospitalized in critical condition. As a nurse, I have a lot of questions about what happened inside that execution chamber.
We’ll look at how lethal injection is supposed to work, what could potentially go wrong, and the medical and ethical questions that arise when an execution fails.
This case is disturbing on so many levels, and while the latest developments have brought renewed attention to Christa Pike, I don’t want us to forget the young woman whose murder started this entire story.
Join me as we examine the evidence, the medicine, and the unanswered questions surrounding this case.
