Christa Pike news
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The gist
Christa Pike's lawyers filed a clemency petition with Gov. Bill Lee before her Sept. 30 execution. If carried out, she'd be Tennessee's first woman executed since 1819.
Background
Christa Pike, now 50, is the only woman on Tennessee's death row. She was convicted in 1996 for the 1995 torture murder of fellow Job Corps student Colleen Slemmer, when Pike was 18. Her execution is scheduled for Sept. 30, and her legal team is seeking commutation to life without parole, citing her history of childhood abuse, trauma, and mental illness.
How it unfolded
- Jan 12, 1995Pike, then 18, participated in the brutal murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer.
- Mar 30, 1996Pike was sentenced to death for the murder.
- 2004Pike was convicted of attempted first-degree murder.
- Jun 2026Pike's attorneys challenged Tennessee's lethal injection protocol, citing her medical conditions and the state's recent failed execution of Tony Carruthers.
- Aug 11, 2026Pike appeared remotely for a hearing in Knox County Criminal Court.
- Sep 3, 2026Pike's legal team filed a clemency petition with Gov. Bill Lee.
- Sep 30, 2026Pike is scheduled to be executed.
Who’s saying what
- Defense
- Pike's attorneys argue her childhood trauma, mental illness, and remorse warrant mercy, asking for life without parole.
- Victim's family
- Colleen Slemmer's mother, May Martinez, supports the execution, saying Pike should feel the same pain she caused.
- Legal expert
- Commentator Austin Sarat raises troubling questions about executing someone who was a teenager at the time of the crime.
Still unverified
Claims of Pike's childhood abuse and mental illness are from her legal team and Cornell Law School, but not independently verified in the material.