Christa Pike is scheduled to be executed in Tennessee next week — but if the execution goes ahead, something unusual will happen inside the death chamber.
Pike’s spiritual advisor, Buddhist teacher Rev. Mikey Noechel, has now revealed what will happen as Tennessee prepares to execute its first woman in more than 200 years.
Christa Pike’s upcoming execution has drawn significant attention. She is the first woman in more than 180 years to face execution in Tennessee, and her Buddhist faith has become an important part of the discussion surrounding her case and how she will spend her final moments.
Her spiritual advisor, Buddhist teacher Rev. Mikey Noechel, is expected to be with her during the execution.
It is not unusual for a spiritual advisor or religious representative to be allowed inside the execution chamber, particularly in the United States. So, the fact that Christa Pike will have her spiritual advisor with her is not, by itself, unusual.
In Tennessee, it is explicitly permitted. For example, during Harold Wayne Nichols’ execution in 2025, a spiritual advisor was inside the execution chamber and prayed with him during his final minutes.
What makes Christa Pike’s case different
What is more striking in Pike’s case is what her spiritual advisor says they plan to do once they are inside.
Rev. Mikey Noechel, who has served as Pike’s spiritual advisor for more than two years, recently spoke about what he expects those final moments to look like.
“I’ll be taking her inside of the space where they will be putting her to death and we’ll be walking in with this practice of loving kindness, blessing the whole room with loving kindness…creating this environment of care,” he told WPLN News.
Rather than focusing solely on Pike herself, Noechel says the practice will extend to everyone in the room.
He explained that they intend to say the meditation aloud, wishing for all beings to be “at ease and at peace and gentle” as Pike prepares to die.
It is a striking scene to imagine: inside the room where Tennessee carries out executions, Pike and her spiritual advisor practicing Buddhist loving-kindness meditation as the final procedure takes place.
Noechel says the practice is intended to create an “environment of care” — even in a place associated with death.
A case that has drawn intense attention
Pike was 18 when she was convicted of the 1995 murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer, a fellow Job Corps student in Knoxville. She has spent nearly three decades on death row.
Her scheduled execution has attracted renewed attention in recent weeks, in part because of her age at the time of the crime and evidence of severe abuse she experienced during childhood.
Her attorneys have asked Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee to commute her death sentence to life without parole, arguing that her history and circumstances deserve consideration. Advocates have also recently urged the governor to stop the execution.
Pike has also challenged Tennessee’s lethal-injection process in court, though a judge rejected most of those challenges in August.
Another unusual aspect of the case is Pike’s request concerning who will be involved in her execution. Her lawyers have asked that only female corrections staff be present in the death chamber, citing her history of sexual abuse and the potential trauma associated with being restrained and handled by men. Tennessee has not guaranteed that request will be granted.
But if the execution goes ahead, Noechel’s presence will add another extraordinary element to the final moments.
“We’re getting really good at killing”
Noechel made clear that his role is not to portray Pike as a victim of the crime for which she was convicted. He acknowledged Pike’s responsibility and said she understands why Colleen Slemmer’s loved ones may feel the way they do.
At the same time, he questioned what society gains from another death.
”We’re getting really good at killing, aren’t we? And that’s concerning.”
He said Pike has expressed hope that her death might bring some comfort to Slemmer’s family.
But Noechel said his larger concern is what happens beyond this individual case.
“Yes, she is responsible, but I also feel responsible, and you should feel responsible, and everybody should feel responsible so we can take responsibility.”
For him, the focus is ultimately on preventing another murder rather than simply carrying out another punishment.
And that is why, if Pike enters the death chamber on September 30, Noechel says he won’t be there simply to witness her final moments.
He plans to walk in beside her, practice loving-kindness meditation and attempt to fill the room with compassion, even as the state prepares to take her life.
Meanwhile, Pike’s legal team continues to seek clemency, meaning her scheduled execution could still be delayed or stopped before September 30.
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