Tennessee is preparing to carry out its first execution of a woman in more than two centuries after the state Supreme Court scheduled the execution of Christa Gail Pike, the only woman currently on Tennessee’s death row.
According to court filings dated September 30, Pike, now 49, is set to be executed on September 30, 2026.
If the sentence is carried out, she would become the first woman executed in Tennessee since 1820 and just the fourth woman executed by the state in its history.
Records from the Death Penalty Information Center show that the last woman executed in Tennessee was Martin Eve, who was hanged in 1820 for her role as an accessory to murder.
Pike was convicted for the killing of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer in January 1995, a crime that remains one of the most notorious in the state’s history.
At the time, Pike was 18 and enrolled in the Knoxville Job Corps, a federal job training program.
Prosecutors said Pike became consumed by jealousy after beginning a relationship with fellow student Tadaryl Shipp, believing Slemmer was romantically interested in him.
On January 12, 1995, Pike lured Slemmer to a wooded area near the University of Tennessee’s agricultural campus.
Court records detail an exceptionally violent attack in which Pike used a box cutter and a meat cleaver, carved a pentagram into Slemmer’s body, and ultimately crushed her skull with a piece of asphalt.
Prosecutors also said Pike later kept part of the victim’s skull as a trophy.
In 1996, Pike was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death.
Shipp received a life sentence with the possibility of parole, while a third accomplice testified against Pike and was granted probation.
Pike’s violent behavior continued behind bars.
In 2004, she was convicted of attempting to strangle another inmate, resulting in an additional 25-year sentence added to her existing punishment, according to the Nashville Banner.
For nearly three decades, Pike’s legal team has pursued appeals, arguing that her execution would be unconstitutional due to her mental health history and the abuse she suffered as a child.
Her attorneys say she endured years of physical and sexual abuse and neglect and was not properly diagnosed with bipolar disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder until years after her conviction.
In a statement to USA TODAY, Pike’s legal team said that with treatment and time, she has shown remorse and personal growth, stating: "Christa’s childhood was fraught with years of physical and sexual abuse and neglect … With time and treatment for bipolar and post-traumatic stress disorders, which were not diagnosed until years later, Christa has become a thoughtful woman with deep remorse for her crime."
Tennessee resumed executions after a multi-year pause to review lethal injection procedures, carrying out its most recent execution in 2025.
Pike’s scheduled execution has already reignited debate, with supporters emphasizing the brutality of the crime and opponents calling for clemency based on her mental health and traumatic upbringing.
Unless her remaining appeals are successful, Pike is set to become a grim historical milestone for Tennessee more than 200 years after the state last executed a woman.