Tennessee may carry out its first execution of a woman in more than 200 years after
the state supreme court approved moving forward with the death sentence of 49-year-old
Christa Gail Pike. Pike, the only woman on Tennessee’s death row,
was 18 when she was convicted of murdering 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer in 1995.
Prosecutors said Pike believed Slemmer was interested in her boyfriend,
leading to a planned attack in a wooded area near Knoxville.
Slemmer was killed with the assistance of Pike’s boyfriend, Tadaryl Shipp,
and another student, Shadolla Peterson. The crime shocked the public due to its brutality.
Investigators were further disturbed when Pike showed them a fragment of Slemmer’s
skull that she had kept. Retired detective Randy York recalled that
Pike demonstrated how it fit into the wound “like a puzzle.”
Pike was convicted of first-degree murder in 1996 and sentenced to death.
Shipp received life without parole, while Peterson received probation after cooperating with authorities.
Pike later received an additional 25-year sentence for attacking another inmate.
Her execution is scheduled for September 30, 2026. Defense attorneys argue that her history of severe
childhood abuse, mental health conditions, and remorse should be considered. If carried out,
the execution would mark Tennessee’s first execution of a woman since 1820.
