Full Breakdown
Christa Pike’s Execution Stay: A Last-Minute Halt to Tennessee’s First Female Execution in Two Centuries
By Drooid · · How we work
Core Event
On September 30, 2026, Christa Gail Pike, 50, was scheduled for lethal injection at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville for the 1995 murder of classmate Colleen Slemmer. An hour before the 10 a.m. deadline, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit issued an emergency stay, pausing the execution.
Background & Context
The crime occurred on January 12, 1995 at the University of Tennessee’s agricultural campus. Pike, then 18, lured 19-year-old Slemmer with a promise of marijuana; her boyfriend Tadaryl Shipp and friend Shadolla Peterson assisted. Prosecutors described a prolonged assault involving a box cutter and a pentagram carved into Slemmer’s chest. Pike kept a fragment of the victim’s skull as a “trophy.” She was sentenced to death on March 30, 1996; Shipp received life with parole eligibility in 2031, and Peterson received probation after cooperating.
Timeline
- January 12, 1995 – Murder of Colleen Slemmer.
- March 30, 1996 – Pike sentenced to death.
- August 13, 2026 – State concedes Pike suffered childhood sexual abuse.
- September 28, 2026 – Gov. Bill Lee denies clemency.
- September 30, 2026 – Execution scheduled; stay issued by Sixth Circuit.
Data & Statistics
- Women account for roughly 1 % of U.S. executions since 1976 (18 of 1,683).
- Tennessee has executed 17 people in the modern era; Pike would be the first woman in over 200 years (last in 1820).
Official Statements & Responses
- “We will continue to advocate for the lawfully imposed sentence as the courts work through this technical issue,” — Tennessee Attorney General.
- Gov. Bill Lee, after “deliberate consideration,” said he would not intervene.
- Judge Jane B. Stranch: “The interests of justice and the finality of Pike’s impending execution compel the entry of a short stay… to properly analyze the parties’ fully briefed arguments.”
Criticism & Opposition
- Amnesty International deputy director Justin Mazzola called it “unthinkable” for the governor to allow the execution.
- Robin Maher of the Death Penalty Information Center noted that society’s view of who deserves death has changed since Pike’s sentencing.
- Sandra Babcock of the Cornell Center on the Death Penalty Worldwide said prosecutors minimized Pike’s history of abuse.
- “The present matter is another last-ditch meritless effort to delay a lawful execution,” — Richard Allen Griffin.
Verbatim Quote
- “I am not afraid to die. I’m only nervous about the process,” — Christa Pike, speaking to reporters in Nashville.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
- Sources differ on the total number of women executed in Tennessee’s history: some cite three, others four, due to incomplete early-19th-century records.
- Reports vary on Pike’s age at sentencing; the court record shows the death sentence was imposed after her 20th birthday in March 1996.
What’s Next
- The Tennessee Attorney General’s office has filed an application with the U.S. Supreme Court seeking to lift the Sixth Circuit’s stay.
- Pike’s lawyers will continue arguing that her childhood trauma and medical conditions render lethal injection unconstitutional.
- The execution date remains undetermined pending further judicial review.