By Dimple Singh
Copyright timesnownews
The Tennessee Supreme Court has scheduled the execution of Christa Gail Pike, the only woman on the state’s death row, for September 30, 2026. Pike, now 49, was convicted in the 1995 killing of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer in Knoxville, as per USA Today report. Background Of Case Pike was just 18 when she, along with her boyfriend Tadaryl Shipp and friend Shadolla Peterson, lured Slemmer into the woods near the Knoxville Job Corps training center. Over the course of an hour, Pike carried out a horrific attack. Court records say Slemmer was beaten, stabbed, bludgeoned, and had a pentagram carved into her chest. Pike later admitted to throwing a piece of asphalt at Slemmer’s head and keeping a fragment of her skull, which she showed to other students. A groundskeeper found Slemmer’s body the next day. Trial And Sentencing In 1996, Pike was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death. Her boyfriend, Shipp, also convicted of murder, received a life sentence and will be eligible for parole in November. Peterson, who acted as a lookout during the attack, testified against Pike and was given probation. If Pike’s execution is carried out, she will be the first woman executed in Tennessee in 200 years, and only the 19th woman executed in the United States since 1976. Rare Case Women are rarely sentenced to death in the US. According to the Death Penalty Information Center, only 18 women have been executed in nearly 50 years. Robin Maher, the group’s executive director, called it “extremely rare.” For 27 years, Pike lived in what her attorneys described as solitary confinement, with no interaction with other inmates. She later gained limited opportunities to join others for meals, classes, and religious services. In a letter to The Tennessean, Pike expressed remorse, writing that she was a “mentally ill 18-year-old kid” at the time of the crime and that she now feels “sickened” by her past actions. Her legal team says that given her young age, history of abuse, and mental health conditions, she would likely not face the death penalty if tried today. They are seeking to have her sentence reduced to life without parole. Get Latest News Live on Times Now along with Breaking News and Top Headlines from US News and around the World.
