Stories
US Supreme Court Clears Way for Christa Pike's Execution in Tennessee
- •The US Supreme Court cleared the way for the execution of Christa Pike, the only woman on Tennessee's death row, for the murder of a high-school friend.
- •Pike's execution would be the first of a woman in Tennessee in two centuries and the first in the US since 2023.
- •A lower court briefly halted the execution to review allegations of childhood sexual abuse, but the Supreme Court vacated the stay.
- •Pike was 18 when she and her boyfriend killed 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer, whose body was found with a pentagram carved into her chest.
- •Pike's lawyers argued for clemency due to her young age and mental health issues at the time of the crime, but Governor Bill Lee declined to intervene.
Key Questions Answered
The US Supreme Court vacated a lower court's stay of execution, allowing Tennessee to proceed with giving Christa Pike a lethal injection after hours of legal wrangling. The lower court had initially halted the execution to review arguments regarding whether her childhood sexual abuse was fully considered during her original prosecution.
Christa Pike and her boyfriend brutally beat and killed 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer in January 1995 when Pike was 18 years old. The murder at a Knoxville job training camp gained national attention because the victim's body was found with a pentagram carved into her chest.
No, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee declined to intervene or grant clemency after Pike's lawyers submitted a petition highlighting her youth, severe mental illness, and history of childhood trauma.
