The Tennessee Supreme Court has issued a death warrant for Christa Gail Pike, the state’s only woman on death row, scheduling her execution for September 30, 2026. At 49 years old, Pike’s impending death by lethal injection would mark the first time Tennessee executes a female inmate in more than two centuries, since records began tracking capital punishment in the state over 200 years ago. This development comes amid a surge in executions across the U.S., with 34 carried out nationwide in 2025 so far—the highest number in a decade—and nine more scheduled, including several in Tennessee. Pike’s case, rooted in a gruesome 1995 murder at age 18, has long divided opinions on youth, mental health, and the death penalty’s application to women.
The court’s order, handed down on September 30, 2025, grants the state’s request to set a date at the Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville, where most of Tennessee’s death row inmates are housed. Under the ruling, the prison warden must notify Pike of the execution method by August 28, 2026. Lethal injection remains Tennessee’s primary method, though inmates sentenced before 1999, like Pike, can opt for the electric chair. This scheduling follows a three-year pause in Tennessee executions that ended in May 2025, after an independent review revealed improper testing of lethal injection drugs for seven inmates executed since 2018. The state Attorney General’s Office admitted in court that two officials had falsely testified about the testing protocols.
Pike’s attorneys expressed immediate disappointment, stating in a release that the decision overlooks her youth and untreated mental illnesses at the time of the crime. “We remain steadfast that Christa’s death sentence should be commuted given her youth and severe mental illness,” the team, including Kelly Gleason, Randy Spivey, Stephen Ferrell, and Molly Kincaid, said. They argue that modern standards would preclude the death penalty in her case, advocating instead for life without parole. The victim’s mother, May Martinez, has consistently supported the execution, telling local media in 2021, “I just want Christa down so I can end it, relieve my daughter, so she finally can be resting.”
This execution date is part of a broader wave: the court also set dates for three male inmates—Tony V. Carruthers on May 21, 2026; Anthony Darrell Dugard Hines on August 13, 2026; and Gary Wayne Sutton on December 3, 2026—following Harold Wayne Nichols’s date of December 11, 2025. Tennessee now leads southern states in resuming capital punishment post-pause, reflecting a national uptick driven by resolved drug supply issues and policy shifts in conservative legislatures.
The 1995 Murder: A Ritual of Jealousy and Violence
The case traces back to January 12, 1995, when 18-year-old Christa Gail Pike, a student at the Knoxville Job Corps Center—a federal program for vocational training—lured 19-year-old fellow student Colleen Slemmer to a secluded wooded area on the University of Tennessee’s Agricultural Campus. Pike, who had recently begun dating 17-year-old Tadaryl Shipp, another Job Corps participant, suspected Slemmer of trying to steal her boyfriend. Friends of Slemmer denied any romantic interest, but Pike’s jealousy, fueled by an emerging fascination with the occult and devil worship shared with Shipp, escalated into deadly obsession.
What unfolded was a 30-minute ordeal of torture that shocked investigators and the community. Pike, Shipp, and a third accomplice, 18-year-old Shadolla Peterson, isolated Slemmer under the pretense of reconciliation. Once alone, they stripped her, beat her with fists and a box cutter, and carved a pentagram into her chest with the blade. Christa Gail Pike later admitted to stomping on Slemmer’s face and fingers with heavy boots, breaking bones and causing severe bleeding. As Slemmer begged for her life, Pike retrieved a large chunk of asphalt and repeatedly bashed her head, ultimately killing her by fracturing her skull. The attack left Slemmer’s body mutilated, with over 100 wounds documented in the autopsy.
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In a chilling detail revealed during the investigation, Pike severed a piece of Slemmer’s skull—about three inches long—and kept it as a trophy, wrapped in cloth inside her jacket. Peterson, who acted as lookout but participated minimally, testified against Pike in exchange for a reduced charge of facilitation, receiving probation after serving time. Shipp, Pike’s boyfriend, was convicted of first-degree murder but sentenced to life with parole eligibility after a jury deadlocked on the death penalty. Pike, tried separately, showed no remorse initially, smirking at media during her arrest and bragging about the kill to cellmates.
Christa Gail Pike is an American convicted murderer, here she is getting her sentence: pic.twitter.com/WXZ5OSQ6Mv
— AlphaFox (@Alphafox78) May 6, 2024
The murder’s brutality drew national attention, featuring on true-crime programs like Deadly Women and Snapped: Killer Couples. Knoxville police arrested the trio within days, after Pike confided details to a friend and the skull fragment was discovered in her possession. Slemmer’s body was found partially covered by leaves, her pleas for mercy etched in the frozen ground. Prosecutors described the crime as premeditated and sadistic, emphasizing the ritualistic elements—the pentagram and occult ties—as evidence of Pike’s intent to terrorize.
Legal Saga: From Swift Conviction to Endless Appeals
Christa Gail Pike’s trial in March 1996 was swift and damning. Just 14 months after the murder, a Knox County jury deliberated for only two-and-a-half hours before convicting her of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. During the penalty phase, prosecutors presented graphic evidence, including photos of Slemmer’s mutilated body and testimony from Peterson detailing Pike’s leadership in the attack. Pike’s defense argued diminished capacity due to her troubled background, but the jury voted 11-1 for death, sentencing her to lethal injection.
Appeals followed immediately. Pike’s team challenged the conviction on grounds of ineffective counsel, claiming her attorney failed to investigate her mental health history. Federal courts rejected this in 2016, with U.S. District Judge Harry Sandlin Mattice Jr. issuing a 61-page ruling denying commutation. The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld it unanimously in 2019. In a bizarre twist, Pike twice attempted to waive her appeals in 2001 and 2002—against counsel’s advice—seeking electrocution to hasten her death, but courts reinstated them, citing her instability.
Complications arose in 2004 when Pike was convicted of attempted first-degree murder for strangling a fellow inmate during a prison brawl, adding 25 years to her sentence. This incident, involving a makeshift noose, underscored ongoing behavioral issues. Her attorneys later sought to reopen the case, citing undiagnosed bipolar disorder and PTSD—conditions linked to congenital brain damage and a childhood of severe abuse, including sexual assault by family members and neglect from a drug-addicted mother. Evidence of these factors, they argue, was absent at trial.
A 2023 motion for post-conviction relief, emphasizing evolving standards on juvenile brain development (Pike was 18, just over the Supreme Court’s youth threshold), was denied. The U.S. Supreme Court declined certiorari in 2024. Throughout, Pike spent 27 years in near-solitary confinement as Tennessee’s sole female death row inmate, only recently gaining access to group activities like meals and classes. Her legal battles highlight systemic flaws: Robin Maher of the Death Penalty Information Center noted to media that “society’s view of who is truly deserving of a death sentence has changed” regarding young offenders with trauma.
Voices of the Victim, Defense, and Broader Debate
Colleen Slemmer’s family has endured three decades of grief, with her mother, May Martinez, becoming a vocal advocate for Pike’s execution. Martinez, who identified her daughter’s body from the carved pentagram, has lobbied governors and attended hearings, viewing closure as essential for Slemmer’s peace. “Thirty years is long enough,” she stated recently, echoing sentiments from Slemmer’s father, who died without seeing justice fully served. The family has also petitioned for the return of Slemmer’s skull fragment—still held as evidence by the state—for proper burial, a request denied until the case concludes.
Pike’s defense paints a portrait of redemption. Diagnosed post-trial with bipolar disorder and PTSD, she has undergone treatment, emerging as a “thoughtful woman with deep remorse,” per her attorneys. Letters from prison describe her mentoring inmates and pursuing education, contrasting the volatile teen who once etched satanic symbols into her skin. Supporters, including anti-death penalty groups, argue her execution ignores rehabilitation and risks executing the vulnerable—women comprise just 2% of U.S. death row, often with abuse histories.
The case ignites national debates on capital punishment’s equity. With women rarely executed—only 16 federally since 1900, per records—Pike’s fate tests Tennessee’s resolve amid 2025’s execution spike. Critics decry the state’s drug-testing lapses, while proponents cite deterrence for heinous crimes. As appeals loom, possibly to Governor Bill Lee for clemency, the clock ticks toward a historic, if controversial, milestone. Tennessee’s death row, at 44 inmates, underscores a system where finality battles fairness, leaving Slemmer’s memory and Pike’s humanity in unresolved tension.