Full Breakdown
Christa Pike Set for Execution, Potential First Woman Executed in Tennessee in Over Two Centuries
By Drooid · · How we work
Scheduled Lethal Injection on September 30
Christa Pike, 50, is slated to be executed by lethal injection at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville on September 30. If carried out, she will become the first woman put to death in Tennessee since 1819 and the fourth woman ever executed in the state’s modern record.
Background & Context
In 1995, Pike, then 18, and her boyfriend Tadaryl Shipp lured 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer, a fellow Job Corps student, to an isolated spot in Knoxville and tortured her to death. Pike was convicted of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder and sentenced to death on March 30, 1996, making her one of the youngest women sentenced to death in the United States.
Legal Challenges and Appeals
Pike’s attorneys filed a 226-page clemency petition with Governor Bill Lee, citing childhood sexual abuse, bipolar disorder, PTSD, and a rare blood disorder (thrombocytosis) as grounds that lethal injection would be “cruel and unusual.” They also requested an all-female execution team and previously asked to be hanged.
The Tennessee Supreme Court denied a stay, finding that the thrombocytosis diagnosis does not demonstrate a substantial risk of needless suffering. The court’s 23-page ruling concluded that Pike is unlikely to succeed on any challenge to the protocol.
The state will provide limited accommodations: female correctional officers will transport Pike, a privacy screen will be used during showering and restroom use, and a spiritual adviser may be present in the execution chamber and for the 12 hours preceding the execution.
Data & Statistics
- Christa Pike is the only woman on Tennessee’s death row.
- Nationwide, 45 women were on death row as of June 24, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.
- Since the 1976 reinstatement of the death penalty, 18 women have been executed in the United States; the most recent was Amber McLaughlin in January 2023.
Official Statements & Responses
- Tennessee Supreme Court – Determined that the lethal-injection protocol does not violate the Eighth Amendment because Pike’s medical condition does not prove a substantial risk of unnecessary pain.
- Tennessee Attorney General’s Office – Stated that Pike bears the burden of presenting scientific evidence to overturn the execution method and that she has “completely failed to do that.”
- Governor Bill Lee – Has not issued a response to the clemency petition as of the scheduled execution date.
On-the-Ground Reports
Ashlee Sellars, a friend of Pike, relayed a text in which Pike wrote that she does not want loved ones present at the execution, saying, “She doesn’t want us to experience that.”
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
The Tennessee Attorney General’s office does not dispute the abuse claims outlined in Pike’s clemency petition, yet the original jury received no evidence of that abuse during sentencing. No additional forensic or medical evidence has been presented to substantiate the claim that lethal injection would cause heightened pain.
Verbatim Quotes
What’s Next
Pike’s legal team plans to appeal the Tennessee Supreme Court’s decision to the U.S. Supreme Court while awaiting a clemency decision from Governor Bill Lee. If either avenue succeeds, the September 30 execution could be halted; otherwise, the execution will proceed as scheduled.