FIRST Female Execution In Two Centuries

Tennessee prepares to execute its first woman in over 200 years after the state’s Supreme Court scheduled Christa Pike’s death for her 1995 torture-murder of a fellow student, marking a historic moment in the administration of ultimate justice.

Story Highlights

Christa Pike is scheduled to be executed on September 30, 2026, which would make her the first woman executed in Tennessee since 1820.
Pike was convicted in 1996 for the torture and murder of fellow student Colleen Slemmer, a crime that involved severe physical assault.
The execution date was set after nearly three decades of appeals were exhausted in state and federal courts.
The case highlights the rare application of capital punishment to female offenders in the state’s judicial history.

Historic Execution Scheduled for September 2026

The Tennessee Supreme Court has set September 30, 2026, as the execution date for Christa Gail Pike, who is the state’s only woman currently on death row. Pike was convicted in 1996 for the murder of Colleen Slemmer. At age 18, Pike was the youngest woman sentenced to death in the United States at the time of her conviction. The scheduled execution would mark the end of Tennessee’s 206-year period without executing a female offender.

The state Supreme Court scheduled the death of Christa Gail Pike, convicted of the brutal 1995 murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer, for Sept. 30, 2026.

If the execution goes ahead, Pike looks to be the first woman executed in Tennessee since 1820. pic.twitter.com/ircfZn9Qtv

— Fox News (@FoxNews) October 2, 2025

Brutal Crime That Underwent Extensive Review

Pike was convicted for the January 1995 murder of Colleen Slemmer, an 18-year-old student at the Job Corps vocational program. Pike and her co-defendant, Tadaryl Shipp, lured Slemmer to a secluded area near the University of Tennessee’s agricultural campus in Knoxville. Court records indicate that Slemmer was beaten and stabbed, and that a pentagram was carved into her chest. Pike later admitted to retaining a piece of Slemmer’s skull.

Decades of Appeals and Legal Maneuvering

Pike’s conviction and subsequent death sentence have been subject to nearly 30 years of legal appeals. Her defense attorneys have consistently argued that her documented history of childhood abuse, mental health diagnoses including bipolar disorder and PTSD, and her age at the time of the crime should be considered mitigating factors sufficient to preclude the death penalty. Furthermore, Pike received an additional conviction in 2004 for attempting to murder a fellow death row inmate, which prosecutors cited as evidence of continued dangerousness.

The victim’s family has faced numerous delays during the lengthy appellate process. The duration of the legal proceedings, spanning three decades, highlights the complex and prolonged nature of capital cases in the American legal system.

Judicial Process Concludes After Three Decades

The scheduling of Pike’s execution reflects the conclusion of the state and federal appeals process. While advocacy groups continue to push for clemency based on the mitigating factors cited by her defense, the state’s decision to proceed confirms the judiciary’s conclusion that the verdict and sentence, imposed after extensive legal review, should be carried out. The case underscores the serious societal consequences of severe criminal violence and the legal system’s commitment to finality in capital punishment decisions.