Tennessee's only female death row inmate has received her execution date after nearly three decades of legal proceedings.
Christa Pike, now 49, is scheduled to be executed by September 30, 2026, unless another court order intervenes, according to Breitbart. Pike was sentenced to death in 1996 for the brutal 1995 murder of fellow Knoxville Job Corps worker Colleen Slemmer.
The execution would mark the first female execution in Tennessee since 1819. Pike would also become the first person executed who was 18 at the time of the crime since Tennessee reinstated the death penalty in 1972.
Brutal Crime Details Emerge
Pike and two accomplices, Tadaryl Shipp and Shadolla Peterson, lured Slemmer to the University of Tennessee Agriculture Campus in 1995. The trio brutally beat Slemmer to death and carved a pentagram into her chest.
Pike took a piece of Slemmer's skull as a trophy following the murder. She initially claimed the killing was motivated by satanic beliefs before later stating it resulted from a love triangle.
Both Pike and Slemmer were 18 years old at the time of the crime. All three perpetrators received convictions for their roles in the murder case.
Legal Defense Arguments
Pike's attorneys are pushing for commutation of her death sentence based on multiple mitigating factors. "We remain steadfast that Christa's death sentence should be commuted, given her youth and severe mental illness at the time of the crime," her legal team stated.
The defense emphasizes Pike's age during the offense and her troubled background. "Christa was sentenced to death in 1996 for a crime she and two others committed when she was just 18 years old," her attorneys noted.
Her legal team argues that Pike suffered from a childhood marked by physical and sexual abuse and neglect. They contend these factors should have resulted in a lesser sentence than death.
Mental Health and Prison Record
Pike received diagnoses of bipolar and post-traumatic stress disorders years after her conviction and sentencing. Her attorneys argue these conditions were not properly identified or treated at the time of the crime.
The defense claims Pike has transformed during her time in prison with proper mental health treatment. "With time and treatment for bipolar and post-traumatic stress disorders, which were not diagnosed until years later, Christa has become a thoughtful woman with deep remorse for her crime," they stated.
However, Pike's prison record includes additional violent incidents that complicate her case. In 2004, she received a secondary conviction for attempting to strangle a fellow inmate during a prison fight, which added 25 years to her sentence.
Supreme Court Decision and Future Appeals
Pike's attorneys expressed disappointment with the Tennessee Supreme Court's recent ruling on the execution timeline. They stated they were "disappointed in the Tennessee Supreme Court's order that grants the State of Tennessee's motion for Christa's execution."
The legal team continues to argue that Pike's mental health issues and youth at the time of the crime warrant commutation rather than execution. Her case represents a significant test of Tennessee's willingness to execute women and defendants who committed crimes as teenagers.
The September 2026 deadline allows for continued legal challenges and potential court interventions before the execution proceeds. Pike's case will likely face additional appeals and clemency requests as the execution date approaches.
