NASHVILLE, TN — The Tennessee Supreme Court has officially set an execution date for Christa Gail Pike, the only woman currently on the state’s death row, scheduling her execution by lethal injection for September 30, 2026. If carried out as planned, Pike will become the first woman executed in Tennessee in more than 200 years, marking a rare and historically significant moment in the state’s use of capital punishment.
Pike, now 49 years old, was convicted in 1996 for the 1995 murder and torture of 19‑year‑old Colleen Slemmer, a fellow student at the Job Corps training center in Knoxville, Tennessee. Pike was 18 at the time of the crime, making her one of the youngest women ever sentenced to death in the United States.
According to court records, on January 12, 1995, Pike, her then‑boyfriend Tadaryl Shipp, and friend Shadolla Peterson lured Slemmer into a wooded area near the University of Tennessee’s Agricultural campus under the pretext of making peace. Once secluded, Pike and her accomplices subjected Slemmer to a brutal attack involving stabbing, beating, and mutilation. Prosecutors presented evidence that Pike carved a pentagram into Slemmer’s chest and that she may have taken a piece of the victim’s skull as a trophy — disturbing details that contributed to a conviction for first‑degree murder.
Pike was arrested shortly after the killing and later convicted and sentenced to death in March 1996. She has remained on death row ever since, despite decades of legal appeals and efforts by her defense team to have her sentence commuted. Attorneys for Pike have argued that her youth, history of trauma, and mental health issues — including bipolar disorder and post‑traumatic stress disorder — should warrant clemency or a reduced sentence, but these requests have repeatedly been denied by Tennessee courts.
In addition to her 1995 conviction, Pike also received a separate 25‑year sentence in 2004 for the attempted murder of a fellow inmate, Patricia Jones, during an incident at the women’s correctional facility.
The Tennessee Supreme Court’s death warrant, issued on September 30, 2025, sets Pike’s execution date exactly one year later. If carried out as scheduled, Pike’s execution would mark the first time since the early 19th century that the state has put a woman to death under its capital punishment laws.
The case has drawn national attention not only for the brutality of the crime but also for the legal and ethical debates surrounding capital punishment, juvenile culpability, and long‑term incarceration. Advocates for Pike’s clemency have cited her abusive upbringing and mental health issues, while others argue that the severity of the offense justifies the ultimate punishment.
As Tennessee resumes executions after a pause caused by concerns over lethal injection drug protocols, Pike’s upcoming execution — along with dates set for several other death row inmates — highlights ongoing national discussions over the application of the death penalty and its role in contemporary criminal justice.
