Tennessee schedules execution of Christa Pike for 2026

Christa Pike is scheduled to be executed in Tennessee on September 30, 2026, for the 1995 murder of Colleen Slemmer. If the execution proceeds, Pike will be the first woman executed in the state in over 200 years.

The crime occurred when Pike, then 18, and her boyfriend, Tadaryl Shipp, lured Slemmer, a fellow Job Corps student, into an abandoned area where she was tortured and killed. Pike was convicted as the ringleader and sentenced to death, while Shipp received a life sentence.

As the execution date approaches, Pike’s legal team is pursuing a clemency petition to the Governor and a religious-liberty lawsuit challenging the lethal injection process. Advocates for Pike argue that her 30 years on death row constitute sufficient punishment and highlight her transformation from a teenager to a 49-year-old woman. Additionally, Pike has requested that Tennessee officials ensure no men are on the execution team.