Christa Pike, the first woman to face execution in Tennessee in over 200 years, is set for lethal injection on September 30, after the state’s Supreme Court denied her request to halt the execution. Her legal team argues her childhood trauma and mental illness warrant clemency, while victims’ families demand justice for the 1995 murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer.
Christa Pike, now 50, has been on death row for the best part of three decades for the 1995 murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer, a crime she committed at 18 alongside her boyfriend, Tadaryl Shipp. The Tennessee Supreme Court denied a request to stay the execution on Wednesday, September 23, leaving her with only a last-ditch chance for clemency from Governor Bill Lee, who has never granted clemency in a death-penalty case. Pike’s lawyers have submitted a 226-page clemency petition, citing a history of sexual abuse, neglect, and undiagnosed mental illness, including bipolar disorder and PTSD, which they argue impaired her judgment at the time of the crime.
The Crime and Legal Background
Pike and Shipp, who was 17 at the time, tortured and killed Slemmer during a job-training camp in Knoxville, carving a pentagram into her chest. Witnesses later testified that Pike had spoken about the killing and showed them part of Slemmer’s skull. Pike was sentenced to death in 1996, while Shipp received a life sentence with the possibility of parole. A 2023 evaluation by psychologist Bethany Brand linked her untreated mental health conditions to impaired emotional control during the crime.
The Tennessee Supreme Court ruled last year that Pike had not demonstrated circumstances sufficient to justify commuting her sentence, and a federal appeals court earlier found that evidence of her trauma would not have altered the original verdict. Pike’s lawyers also challenged the lethal injection protocol, arguing her thrombocytosis would make the process more painful, but the court dismissed this claim as unsupported.
Clemency Efforts and Legal Arguments
Pike’s defense has emphasized her stable, deeply remorseful
state today, citing a 2023 assessment that noted her understanding of the harm caused. They argue that modern knowledge of adolescent brain development and trauma, which was unavailable during her 1996 trial, warrants reconsideration. A statement from her legal team, including Federal Defender Stephen Ferrell, noted that Pike had endured a childhood of sexual abuse
and suffered from serious undiagnosed mental illness
at the time of the crime.
Pike has requested an all-female execution team, citing trauma from past abuse by men. Tennessee officials have stated female guards are expected to transfer her to the prison where the execution will take place, but have not guaranteed the arrangement. Her legal team has also sought a stay of execution, arguing the lethal injection protocol violates the Eighth Amendment, but the state’s Supreme Court rejected this on Wednesday, September 23.
Victim’s Family and Advocacy Groups
Colleen Slemmer’s mother, May Martinez, has consistently supported the execution, stating, She did the crime. I think she should pay for it.
The Justice Coalition, a victims’ rights organisation, has raised funds to help Martinez travel to Tennessee for the execution. Robert Bracewell, the group’s executive director, emphasized that the sentence was determined by a jury and reflects what Slemmer’s family wants.
Ashlee Sellars, a friend of Pike who met her in prison, struggles to reconcile the crime with Pike’s later advocacy for justice reform. Sellars, who served 25 years for a robbery-murder, said Pike is fighting much more for her life to matter than she is to actually live.
She highlighted the broader impact of trauma, noting that these horrible things happen in your youth and then those traumas moved through you, in our community, and you cause harm to somebody else.
The Human Toll and Public Reaction
Pike’s own words reflect deep anguish: My heart breaks every single day because I keep reliving it and reliving it, and I can’t no more, and I want this to happen before I die.
She also expressed remorse for Slemmer’s family, stating, I’ve always felt bad for her mother, that I took someone’s child, someone’s sister, someone’s friend away.
The case has sparked debate over capital punishment, mental health, and the intersection of trauma and violence. While Pike’s legal team frames her as a victim of systemic neglect, Slemmer’s family sees the execution as a necessary closure. With Governor Lee’s decision expected close to the September 30 date, the outcome will determine whether Pike becomes the first woman executed in Tennessee in more than 200 years.