Story summary
Christa Pike, 50, is set to be executed by lethal injection on Wednesday in Tennessee, marking the first time a woman will be put to death in the state in over 200 years. Pike was convicted of murdering Colleen Slemmer, her 19-year-old classmate at Knoxville Job Corps, in January 1995 when she herself was only 18. Prosecutors claimed Pike feared Slemmer as a romantic rival and tortured and killed her alongside her boyfriend.
Pike’s attorneys argue that the death penalty is inappropriate given Pike's troubled childhood of sexual abuse and neglect, which they claim would influence a modern jury to not sentence her to death. However, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has denied Pike’s request for clemency, stating he will uphold the state's sentence.
Slemmer's mother supports the execution after waiting decades for justice. The case garnered significant public attention due to its brutality and because of satanic symbols carved into Slemmer's body. As of now, only 18 women have been executed in the U.S. since the 1970s compared to 1,663 men. Pike’s legal team is still seeking a last-minute reprieve from the Supreme Court due to her PTSD and concerns over psychological trauma during execution.
Written for “Tennessee Woman Execution” on 2026-10-04,
grounded in this article and the 133 other(s) covering the same event.
Teenage killer Christa Pike was still 'alive and snoring' after she received both doses of lethal injection drugs on Wednesday night.
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she → snore → night
Pike, now 50, had been scheduled to be executed at 10am on Wednesday for the 1995 slaying of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer in a fit of jealous rage.
But her procedure was delayed for hours on end after the US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit issued an order staying Pike's execution 'until further order of this court.'
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Court → schedule → court
The US Supreme Court finally overturned the order just before 6pm local time, clearing the way for Pike's execution - the first for a woman in Tennessee in 200 years.
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Court → overturn → years
She was then administered two syringes of pentobarbital at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville, Tennessee just before 7.30pm, but was still alive and breathing as of 9pm local time, The Tennessean reports.
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Tennessean → administer → pm
'She's alive and snoring,' her attorney Kelley Gleason said, explaining that she received the details from another one of Pike's lawyers, Randy Spivey, who was in the death chamber with the murderer.
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who → snore → murderer
Witnesses also said at an ensuing news conference that Pike was heard saying her arm felt like it was about to burst open.
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it → say → conference
Pike (pictured in court in 2007) was still 'alive and snoring' after she received both syringes of lethal injection drugs on Wednesday night
She was convicted at the age of 18 in March 1996 for brutally stabbing and beating Knoxville Job Corps student Colleen Slemmer (pictured) to death
They told how the curtains into the execution chamber opened at 7.26pm, when Pike and her spiritual advisor sang a song and the killer made her final remarks.
The curtains then closed at 7.46pm, as Pike could be heard snoring.
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Pike → picture → 7.46pm
Witnesses were then removed from the room just before 9pm.
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Witnesses → remove → pm
'We have a lot of questions,' one reporter said at an ensuing news conference.
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reporter → have → conference
'And the [Tennessee Department of Corrections] has a lot of answers it needs to provide the public.'
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it → have → public
Tori Gessner, a reporter at WKRN who has witnessed several executions, also emphasized: 'Nothing about today was normal, typical, at all.'
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Nothing → witness → today
Another of Pike's attorneys, Amy Harwell, is now driving an emergency motion to the Tennessee Supreme Court.
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Another → drive → Court
Meanwhile, an ambulance and other first responders were seen pulling up to the front of Riverbend Maximum Security Institution.
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ambulance → see → Institution
It comes one month after Pike's attorneys argued at a hearing in Knoxville that her thrombocytosis could increase clotting and pain during the execution process.
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thrombocytosis → come → process
They also contended at the time that her veins are difficult to access, which could prolong the process and extend Pike's suffering.
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which → contend → suffering
Pike's attorneys argued at a hearing in Knoxville that her thrombocytosis could increase clotting and pain during the execution process
State prosecutors disputed those claims, with hematologist Dr Richard Mansour testifying that Pike's recent medical history showed her veins were accessible.
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veins → argue → claims
He also noted that medical staff had successfully completed nearly all recent blood draws with just a single needle stick.
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staff → note → stick
In the end, Senior Judge Mark Ward concluded that the evidence did not show Pike's veins or blood disorder would create a substantial risk of severe pain.
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veins → conclude → pain
Pike's attorneys had also previously asked for an all-female firing squad to kill her or to be hanged, the New York Post reported.
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Post → ask → her
Having Pike be restrained and handled by men could retraumatize her because of past sexual abuse, her lawyers had claimed, noting that she suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder.
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she → have → disorder
'[Lethal injection administered by men] will increase the likelihood that an Eighth Amendment violation will occur,' Ferrell said.
'
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Ferrell → administer → likelihood
According to the Cornell Center on the Death Penalty Worldwide, Pike was a victim of child sexual abuse, multiple rapes and attempted suicide at age 12.
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Pike → accord → age
When she was 17, she was allegedly grabbed by a stranger by the side of the road and raped.
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she → grab → road
Police never arrested a suspect.
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Police → arrest → suspect
She allegedly killed Colleen Slemmer almost one year to the day after the rape.
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She → kill → rape
Pike is pictured being escorted from Knox County Criminal Court on March 30, 1996, after being sentenced to death for the murder of Colleen Slemmer
Pike was assisted by her boyfriend, Tadaryl Shipp (left), and their classmate Shadolla Peterson (right)
Pike was convicted at the age of 18 in March 1996 for brutally stabbing and beating Knoxville Job Corps student Colleen Slemmer to death.
She initially demanded she be spared a lethal injection because of her Buddhist beliefs.
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she → picture → beliefs
Earlier this month, she asked for an all-female firing squad to carry out her killing, with her lawyers citing the abuse she experienced as a child.
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she → ask → child
Her boyfriend, Tadaryl Shipp, and an accomplice, Shadolla Peterson, also helped lure Slemmer to a wooded area before the couple tortured her to death.
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couple → lure → death
The pair carved a pentagram into the teen's chest, and Peterson testified that he saw Pike also carve something into Slemmer's head, police evidence showed.
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evidence → carve → head
Pike also took a piece of her skull as a souvenir, according to investigators.
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Pike → take → investigators
Slemmer attempted to run for her life but the couple captured her again and continued the gruesome torture that lasted about 30 minutes to an hour, Pike estimated.
Pike and Shipp were both found guilty of first-degree murder.
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Pike → attempt → murder
She was sentenced to death, and he received a life sentence with the possibility of parole.
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he → sentence → parole
Peterson, then 18, served as a lookout for the couple during the deadly attack and was granted probation in exchange for her cooperation.
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Peterson → serve → cooperation
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