Christa Pike, now in her mid-40s, has been scheduled for execution next year for the brutal 1995 killing of her classmate Colleen Slemmer — a crime that shocked Tennessee for its violence and ritualistic overtones.
Slemmer, an 18-year-old Knoxville Job Corps student, was lured to a remote area of the University of Tennessee Agricultural campus by Pike and her then-boyfriend in January 1995, according to the Associated Press. During the attack, Pike stabbed and beat Slemmer before carving a pentagram into the victim’s chest. In a further display of macabre intent, Pike removed a portion of Slemmer’s skull as a grisly keepsake.
Two of Pike’s accomplices, then-17-year-old Tadaryl Shipp and 18-year-old Shadolla Peterson, were also involved in the murder, reports The Straits Times. Pike herself was only 18 at the time of the crime and was subsequently convicted of both first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder, as previously reported by USA Today and The Straits Times.
On Tuesday, September 30, the Tennessee Supreme Court officially set Pike’s execution date, making her the only woman currently on death row in the state, the AP reported.
Since her 1996 conviction, Pike’s legal defense has emphasized a history of severe childhood trauma, including both physical and sexual abuse, and argued that she suffered from “severe mental illness” at the time of the killing. In the years following her arrest, Pike was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. Advocates note that with treatment, she has become reflective and expresses deep remorse for her actions.
A psychologist told The Tennessean that Pike appeared to be detached from reality at the time of the murder, reinforcing arguments that her mental state should be considered in evaluating her culpability.
The case remains one of the most notorious in Tennessee, both for the brutality of the crime and for Pike’s unique position as the state’s only woman on death row. Her scheduled execution marks the culmination of nearly three decades of legal proceedings, appeals, and public debate over justice, mental illness, and the treatment of juvenile offenders who commit violent crimes.
