For nearly three decades, the name Christa Pike has carried a haunting weight in Tennessee’s criminal history. At just 18 years old, she orchestrated one of the state’s most gruesome killings: the torture and murder of classmate Colleen Slemmer in a jealous rage. Now, after years of appeals and delays, Pike’s time is running out.
On Tuesday, the Tennessee Supreme Court announced execution dates for four inmates, including Pike — the only woman awaiting execution in the state. Her case, notorious for its brutality and chilling details, continues to spark debate over justice, mental illness, and the death penalty.
A Killing That Shocked Knoxville
The crime dates back to 1995, when Pike and her boyfriend, Tadaryl Shipp, lured Slemmer, a fellow student at the Knoxville Job Corps, to a wooded area on the University of Tennessee’s agricultural campus. What followed was an hours-long attack driven by jealousy and rage.
Slemmer, just 18 years old, was beaten and stabbed repeatedly. In an act that horrified even seasoned investigators, Pike carved a pentagram into her chest. Authorities later testified that Pike kept a fragment of Slemmer’s skull as a twisted keepsake.
Shipp, then 17, was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole. Pike, however, became the youngest woman in the United States at the time to receive the death penalty.
Violence Behind Bars
Pike’s violent reputation did not end with her conviction. In 2004, she was sentenced to an additional 25 years after being convicted of attempting to strangle a fellow inmate during a prison altercation. That incident cemented her image as both dangerous and unpredictable.
Her attorneys, however, have long argued that Pike’s behavior was shaped by a deeply traumatic childhood. Court filings detail years of physical abuse, sexual assault, and neglect. They contend that she suffered from severe, untreated mental illness, including bipolar disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder, which went undiagnosed until after her imprisonment.
“With time and treatment, Christa has become a thoughtful woman with deep remorse for her crime,” her legal team said in a statement Wednesday, once again pleading for clemency.
A Troubled Execution System
Tennessee’s decision to resume executions comes after a three-year pause. In 2022, officials admitted the state had not properly tested lethal injection drugs for purity and potency, a revelation that halted executions statewide. An independent review later confirmed that none of the drugs prepared for the seven executions carried out between 2018 and 2022 had been fully tested.
Concerns resurfaced this year after the execution of Byron Black, whose autopsy revealed pulmonary edema — a condition that causes fluid to build up in the lungs. Attorneys argued he likely experienced sensations akin to drowning while strapped to the gurney.
“We will continue to fight to bring the truth of what happened to light before these executions move forward,” said Kelley Henry, a federal public defender representing several death row inmates.
Other Inmates Scheduled
Alongside Pike, three other death row prisoners received execution dates.
- Tony Carruthers was convicted in 1996 of killing three people — Marcellos Anderson, his teenage associate Frederick Tucker, and Anderson’s mother, Delois Anderson — in an attempt to seize control of a Memphis drug trade.
- Gary Sutton was sentenced for the 1992 shotgun killing of Tommy Griffin, after already being convicted of murdering Griffin’s sister. His attorneys argue the forensic evidence came from disgraced state medical examiner Charles Harlan, later stripped of his license.
- Anthony Hines was convicted in the fatal 1985 stabbing of Katherine Jean Jenkins, a motel maid in Kingston Springs.
Separately, Harold Nichols, convicted of rape and murder in 1988, is also scheduled for execution under an earlier order.
A Date With Death
Pike’s execution will mark the first time Tennessee has put a woman to death since the 1940s. For her supporters, the case raises pressing questions about executing someone who committed her crime as a teenager and who, they argue, has shown signs of rehabilitation. For her critics — and for Slemmer’s grieving family — it is long-overdue justice for a crime that left indelible scars on Knoxville and beyond.
Nearly 30 years after the night Colleen Slemmer’s life was stolen, Tennessee is preparing to carry out a punishment that has hung over Christa Pike’s head since she was barely old enough to vote.
