Tennessee Schedules Execution for Christa Pike, First Woman in Over 200 Years

The Tennessee Supreme Court has scheduled the execution of Christa Gail Pike for September 30, 2026, at the Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville. This decision follows multiple unsuccessful appeals by Pike's attorneys. If carried out, it will be the first execution of a woman in Tennessee since 1820.

Pike, now 49, was convicted in 1996 for the 1995 murder of Colleen Slemmer, a fellow student at a career training program in Knoxville. Prosecutors argued that Pike, then 18, believed Slemmer intended to steal her boyfriend. The crime involved prolonged torture, including cutting Slemmer with a box cutter and carving a pentagram into her chest. Pike's boyfriend, Tadaryl Shipp, who was 17 at the time, received a life sentence and is eligible for parole in November. Another accomplice, Shadolla Peterson, testified against Pike and received probation.

Since her sentencing, Pike has been the only woman on Tennessee's death row, a status her attorneys equated to solitary confinement. A lawsuit led to a settlement in September 2024, granting her more opportunities for social interaction.

Nationwide, women constitute a small fraction of death row inmates. As of February 28, 2025, there were 48 women on death row across the United States. Since 1976, 18 women have been executed in the U.S., with the most recent being Amber McLaughlin in Missouri in January 2023.

Pike's legal team has consistently highlighted her young age at the time of the crime, her history of mental illness, and experiences of abuse, arguing that these factors would likely lead a contemporary jury to opt for a sentence other than death. Robin Maher, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center, stated, "Her young age, mental illness, and the physical and mental abuse she suffered at the time of her crime would likely persuade a jury today she is not someone who should receive a death sentence."

In Tennessee, the default method of execution is lethal injection. However, inmates convicted of crimes before January 1, 1999, can choose electrocution. The prison warden is required to inform Pike of the execution method by August 28, 2026.