NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Tennessee Supreme Court has set an execution date of September 30, 2026, for Christa Gail Pike, the only woman on the state’s death row, clearing the way for the first execution of a female inmate in Tennessee since 1819.
Pike, now 50, was 18 when she and two accomplices lured 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer into a wooded area near the University of Tennessee campus on January 12, 1995. Over the course of 30 minutes, Pike beat, slashed, and bludgeoned Slemmer, then carved a pentagram into her chest and forehead while the victim was still alive. Pike removed a fragment of Slemmer’s skull and carried it in her jacket pocket as a trophy.
The court ruled that Pike had exhausted all state and federal appeals and presented no extenuating circumstances for commutation. Her execution is scheduled to take place at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville.
Prosecutors described the murder as “especially heinous, atrocious, and cruel.” During her 1996 trial, a taped confession showed Pike laughing as she recounted the killing. She told investigators she wanted Slemmer to “shut up” and kept cutting her throat.
Pike’s legal team has filed a last‑ditch challenge to Tennessee’s lethal injection protocol. They argue she suffers from a blood clotting disorder that could cause her to “drown in her own blood” during the procedure. The state’s own execution of Tony Carruthers in May 2026 was aborted after executioners failed to find a vein for more than an hour.
Adding to the controversy, the man who held Slemmer down during the murder, Tatro Ship, was 17 at the time and ineligible for the death penalty. His parole eligibility date is December 8, 2026—just three months after Pike’s scheduled execution. A third co‑defendant, Shidala Peterson, who stood watch, received probation and never served a day in prison.
Pike’s attorneys have also filed a religious freedom challenge, saying her Buddhist spiritual advisor will be barred from the execution chamber under current protocol.
Colleen Slemmer’s mother, May Martinez, has said she intends to witness the execution. “Execute her, or give me the rest of Colleen back so I can live,” she told reporters.
Governor Bill Lee has the sole authority to grant clemency but has made no public statement. Pike’s supporters have launched a “Mercy for Christa” petition, citing her documented brain damage and history of severe 𝓪𝓫𝓾𝓼𝓮.
Unless a higher court intervenes, Christa Gail Pike will become the first woman executed in Tennessee in 207 years.
