Full Breakdown
Tennessee’s First Female Execution in Over Two Centuries
By Drooid · · How we work
Core Event
Christa Gail Pike, 50, is scheduled for lethal injection on September 30, 2026 at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville. If carried out, she will become the first woman executed in Tennessee since 1820 and the 19th woman executed in the United States since the modern death-penalty era began in 1976.
Background of the 1995 Murder
On January 12, 1995, Pike, then 18, lured 19-year-old classmate Colleen Slemmer from a Knoxville Job Corps center to a secluded area of the University of Tennessee Agricultural campus. Together with her 17-year-old boyfriend Tadaryl Shipp and a third teen, they beat, cut and stabbed Slemmer, carving a pentagram into her chest. Pike later kept a fragment of Slemmer’s skull. Pike was convicted of first-degree murder and conspiracy in March 1996 and sentenced on March 30, 1996; Shipp received life without parole because he was a minor.
Legal History and Appeals
Pike’s case has proceeded through the Tennessee Supreme Court, which denied a stay of execution in 2026, and the U.S. Supreme Court, where her attorneys have filed a petition for a last-minute reprieve. The state’s attorney general argues that Pike’s documented childhood trauma and diagnoses of bipolar disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder do not rise to a constitutional violation of the Eighth Amendment. Her counsel contends that modern neuroscience on adolescent brain development would likely have precluded a death sentence today.
Data and Statistics
- Since 1976, 18 women have been executed nationwide, about 1 % of all U.S. executions.
- Pike is one of only eight Tennessee inmates sentenced to death for crimes committed at age 18; the other seven, all men, have had their sentences vacated.
Official Statements & Responses
Governor Bill Lee issued a statement that, after “deliberate consideration” and a “thorough review,” he is upholding Pike’s sentence and will not intervene. The Tennessee attorney general’s office filed a brief asserting that the lethal-injection protocol does not pose a substantial risk of severe pain for Pike, despite her medical conditions. The U.S. Supreme Court remains the final avenue for relief.
Criticism & Opposition
Legal scholars and advocacy groups argue that executing an 18-year-old with a history of severe abuse violates evolving standards of decency. Dr. John Greer described lethal injection as an attempt to “sanitize … state-sanctioned murder,” calling it “cruel and unusual.” Women-rights organizations have filed amicus briefs warning that the execution could retraumatize Pike because of her history of sexual assault.
On-the-Ground Perspectives
Family members of the victim have expressed a desire for the sentence to be carried out.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
Historical records of Tennessee’s earlier female executions are inconsistent. Some sources list Eve Martin’s 1820 execution as the last, while newer research suggests the 1820 case involved a murder victim, not a perpetrator, and that an unnamed enslaved woman executed in 1819 may have been the true last female execution. The lack of definitive archival data leaves the exact historical precedent ambiguous.
What’s Next
Pike’s execution proceeds on September 30, 2026 unless the U.S. Supreme Court grants a stay. Her legal team continues to seek relief, emphasizing both the medical risks of lethal injection and the evolving standards regarding juvenile offenders.