After nearly three decades on Tennessee’s death row, Christa Pike awaits execution scheduled for Wednesday, which would mark the first time in over 200 years that a woman is put to death in the state. Pike, 50, was sentenced to death for the 1995 torture and murder of her roommate, Colleen Slemmer, a crime committed alongside Pike’s then-boyfriend and another accomplice.
Slemmer, 19, was a student in a Job Corps educational program in Knoxville, Tennessee, when she was lured into the woods on the University of Tennessee campus. She was subjected to brutal violence, including having a pentagram carved into her chest and a piece of her skull removed. While Pike was the only one sentenced to death, her boyfriend, Tadaryl Shipp, was sentenced to life in prison after being shielded from capital punishment due to his age at the time.
Pike, who was 18 when the crime occurred, has acknowledged her guilt but has also expressed remorse in recent years. She has spent most of her incarceration in near-continuous isolation, confined to her cell for 23 hours a day, and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder while incarcerated. Her lawyers have argued that her abusive childhood, marked by physical and sexual abuse, was not considered during her trial and that such background factors might influence sentencing outcomes if tried today. Experts note that women comprise only about 2 percent of new death sentences since 1973, and Pike’s case might be treated differently under current standards.
Despite these arguments, the victim’s mother, May Martinez, has remained steadfast in support of the death sentence. Martinez has expressed frustration with what she describes as a lack of recognition for her daughter and has criticized the attention surrounding Pike’s case. Martinez recalls the trauma of the trial, including witnessing the display and handling of her daughter’s skull by prosecutors. She continues to hold onto mementos of Colleen’s life and opposes efforts to halt the execution.
During her time in prison, Pike was involved in a serious incident in 2001 when she attacked another inmate, leading to a conviction for attempted first-degree premeditated murder. However, testimonies from fellow inmates describe Pike as demonstrating kindness and protective behavior despite the isolation imposed on her. In recent years, she has practiced Buddhist meditation and engaged in therapy, both credited by her attorneys and herself as contributing to her mental health improvement.
Legal efforts to halt the execution have focused on Pike’s mental health, the trauma of her upbringing, and concerns over the potential for excessive pain during the lethal injection process. Her defense team has petitioned Tennessee Governor Bill Lee and the U.S. Supreme Court for clemency and a stay of execution, arguing that the state’s execution protocol could constitute cruel and unusual punishment.
As the scheduled execution approaches, Pike remains in solitary confinement under Tennessee’s pre-execution procedures. The case continues to draw sharp contrasts between those advocating for clemency based on mitigating circumstances and those who emphasize accountability and justice for the victim.