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Tennessee Set to Execute Woman for First Time in 200 Years
Christa Pike, 50, is scheduled to be executed in Tennessee on Wednesday for the 1995 murder of classmate Colleen Slemmer, marking the state's first execution of a woman in over 200 years. Pike's defense team argues that her death sentence is inappropriate given her age at the time (18), untreated mental illness, and severe childhood sexual abuse, while the victim's mother supports the execution proceeding.
Quick Facts
- Pike killed classmate Colleen Slemmer
- Pike and Shipp tortured and killed Slemmer
- A pentagram was carved into Slemmer's body
- Pike was sentenced to death
- Governor Lee denied clemency
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Christa Pike, 50, is scheduled to be executed by lethal injection in Tennessee on Wednesday, marking the state's first execution of a woman in over 200 years. Pike was 18 when she and her boyfriend, Tadaryl Shipp, killed 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer in 1995 at Knoxville Job Corps, a job training facility. Prosecutors said Pike, who believed Slemmer was a romantic rival, lured her to a secluded location where she and Shipp tortured and killed her. The crime drew national attention due to its brutality, the youth of those involved, and because a pentagram—a symbol associated with Satanism—was carved into the victim's body.
Pike does not dispute her role in the killing but her defense team argues that a death sentence is inappropriate given her age at the time of the crime, untreated mental illness, and documented childhood trauma. Court records show Pike was sexually abused starting as a toddler and raped at ages 11 and 17. She was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder while on death row. Her attorneys contend that critical evidence of abuse was not presented to the jury during her trial's penalty phase. Pike wrote in a statement included in her clemency petition: "I was a mentally ill 18-year-old kid. It took me numerous years to even realize the gravity of what I'd done."
Comparative sentencing has become a focal point in Pike's appeal. Her boyfriend, Tadaryl Shipp, who was 17 at the time, received a life sentence with the possibility of parole because of his age; he was denied parole last year. A third accomplice, Shadolla Peterson, then 18, served as a lookout and received probation. Assistant Federal Defender Stephen Ferrell argues that modern understanding of adolescent brain development and current sentencing practices show Pike's death sentence to be an outlier. The Death Penalty Information Center noted that 275 people have been executed for crimes committed at ages 18, 19, or 20 in the modern death penalty era, but such sentences have become increasingly rare.
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee denied clemency on Monday, stating he was upholding the death sentence "after deliberate consideration." Pike's attorneys have petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to stay the execution, citing the psychological trauma that being strapped to a gurney may cause given her documented PTSD. The state's attorney general responded that a judge already concluded it was "speculative whether Pike would suffer" greater mental harm from the lethal injection protocol.
Colleen Slemmer's mother, May Martinez, has advocated for the execution to proceed. Speaking from Florida, she described her daughter as "easygoing," someone who volunteered with the Special Olympics, loved roller skating, and wanted to pursue a career in computers. "She was easygoing. She trusted everybody, and that was her downfall," Martinez said. Pike, who has been on death row for over three decades, wrote in a letter shared with NBC News: "Whether my clemency is granted or not, I am at peace. I am not afraid to die. I'm only nervous about the process."
Why This Matters
Christa Pike's scheduled execution represents the first female death penalty case in Tennessee in over 200 years and reflects ongoing disputes over juvenile sentencing, mental health mitigation, and procedural protections in capital cases. The case involves documented comparisons to her co-perpetrator Tadaryl Shipp (sentenced to life with parole eligibility due to his age at time of crime) and raises questions about sentencing consistency for crimes committed by individuals aged 18–20, a category that has become increasingly rare in modern U.S. capital punishment. Pending appeals to the U.S. Supreme Court and the state's clemency decision now complete, the execution's proceeding or staying will affect how Tennessee law applies psychological trauma standards under lethal injection protocols and whether age-based mitigating evidence reshapes judicial review of historical death sentences.
Timeline & Sources
Jan 1, 1995
WireChrista Pike (18) and Tadaryl Shipp (17) killed Colleen Slemmer (19) at Job Corps facility; pentagram carved into victim's body
Jan 1, 1996
WirePike sentenced to death; Shipp sentenced to life with possibility of parole
Jan 1, 2010
WireAnother woman (Gaile Owens) on Tennessee death row had sentence commuted to life
Jan 1, 2021
WirePike diagnosed with bipolar disorder while on death row
Jan 1, 2023
WireForensic psychologist Dr. Bethany Brand assessed Pike for defense
Sources
- Tennessee Execution Christa Pike Woman 38c20d49bea09bed1488c2b41c309f2capWireSep 28, 2026
- Tennessee to execute a woman for first time in 200 years after governor denies clemencyThe GuardianMediaSep 28, 2026
- Time running out for Tennessee killer Christa Pike who says she's too damaged for death rowBBCMediaSep 26, 2026
- Ahead of rare execution, lone woman on Tennessee death row says ‘I am at peace’NBC NewsMediaSep 28, 2026