Tennessee to execute Christa Pike on 30 September, first woman in 200 years

September 27, 2026 at 04:04 AM2 min

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Tennessee is set to execute Christa Pike by lethal injection on 30 September, making her the first woman executed in the state in more than 200 years. Her lawyers have filed a clemency petition seeking to commute her sentence, citing childhood abuse and mental illness that the jury never heard.

Key Facts

Christa Pike, 50, was sentenced to death in 1996 for the 1995 torture and murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Pike's execution is scheduled for 30 September, and she would be the first woman executed in Tennessee in more than 200 years.
Pike's lawyers have filed a clemency petition seeking to commute her sentence, arguing that her history of childhood sexual abuse and mental illness was never presented to the jury.
Only 18 women have been executed in the United States since the 1970s, compared to 1,663 men.

The Crime and Conviction

In 1995, Pike, then 18, and her boyfriend Tadaryl Shipp beat, tortured, and murdered Colleen Slemmer, a 19-year-old they met at a job training camp for troubled teens. Slemmer's body was found with a pentagram carved into her chest, and Pike had accused her of insulting her and trying to steal her boyfriend. Two other residents at the camp testified that Pike bragged about the murder and showed them a piece of Slemmer's skull. Pike was sentenced to death in 1996, while Shipp, who was 17 at the time, received a life sentence with the possibility of parole.

Clemency Bid and Defense Claims

Pike's lawyers have filed a clemency petition seeking to commute her sentence ahead of the 30 September execution date. They argue that Pike has a documented history of childhood sexual abuse, abandonment, and neglect, and that if she were tried today as a teenager, she would not receive a death sentence. Sandra Babcock, an expert in gender and the death penalty at Cornell Law School, said it is 'mind-boggling' that the defense did not present her history of abuse and rape to the jury. In 1995, forensic psychologist Dr. Diana McCoy found that Pike was severely neglected by both of her parents.

Execution Context

Pike told her friend Ashlee Sellars that she does not want any loved ones present at her execution. Colleen Slemmer's mother has said she wants the execution to proceed so her daughter 'finally can be resting'. Only 18 women have been executed in the United States since the 1970s, compared to 1,663 men.