Christa Pike's 1995 Murder Case: How and Why She Lured Victim Colleen Slemmer to Her Death

Colleen Slemmer, a 19-year-old Job Corps student, was killed in Knoxville, Tennessee, in January 1995 by Christa Pike, who was 18 at the time. Pike told investigators that she was angry because Slemmer had been 'running her mouth' about her and was trying to 'get' her boyfriend, Tadaryl Shipp, according to court records.

The case returned to national attention after Pike's scheduled execution on 30 September 2026 was halted. The Sixth US Circuit Court of Appeals temporarily stayed the execution while it considered claims concerning Pike's history of childhood abuse and neglect. The US Supreme Court later vacated the stay, allowing the execution to proceed. Tennessee's lethal-injection procedure was subsequently unsuccessful, with Pike receiving two rounds of pentobarbital before being taken to hospital, according to officials and her lawyers.

What Pike Said Drove the Attack

Pike and Slemmer knew each other through the Job Corps Center in Knoxville and had a strained relationship. A 2001 Straits Times feature reported that people who knew Slemmer disputed Pike's belief that Slemmer was interested in Shipp.

On 11 January 1995, the day before the killing, Pike told fellow student Kim Iloilo that she intended to kill Slemmer because she 'had just felt mean that day', according to testimony cited by the Tennessee Supreme Court. The court cited the statement as evidence supporting the jury's finding that the murder was premeditated.

The jury also found as an aggravating circumstance that the murder was committed to avoid, interfere with or prevent a lawful arrest or prosecution.

How Slemmer Was Lured

On the night of 12 January, Pike told police that she invited Slemmer to accompany her to a Blockbuster Music store. Pike said she also told Slemmer about marijuana that she believed was hidden in Tyson Park.

The Tennessee Supreme Court found that Pike used the prospect of marijuana to lure Slemmer to an isolated area. A contemporaneous newspaper account described the proposed outing as a 'peace offering' intended to settle the women's differences.

Pike, Shipp and Shadolla Peterson travelled with Slemmer to the University of Tennessee campus and went to a secluded area near the agricultural campus steam plant.

Pike had a box cutter and a small meat cleaver. In her statement to police, she said the assault lasted between 30 minutes and an hour.

According to the court record, Slemmer was repeatedly beaten, kicked and cut. Pike admitted cutting Slemmer's throat several times and striking her head with rocks. She also told investigators that another person helped restrain and attack Slemmer.

The medical examiner determined that Slemmer died from blunt-force head injuries. The autopsy documented extensive skull fractures, as well as numerous other injuries.

Investigators also documented a wound on Slemmer's chest in the shape of a pentagram. Pike denied carving the symbol and told investigators that another person had cut Slemmer's chest. Shipp later testified that he had carved the pentagram.

Pike also retained a piece of Slemmer's skull and showed it to fellow students, according to the court record. A fragment recovered from the pocket of a jacket identified as Pike's was later determined to fit a missing section of Slemmer's reconstructed skull.

Arrest and Death Sentence

Slemmer's body was discovered on 13 January 1995 near the University of Tennessee's agricultural campus. Police interviewed Pike the following day. She waived her Miranda rights and gave investigators an account of the killing.

Pike was convicted in 1996 of premeditated first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder. The jury imposed a death sentence for the murder, while the trial judge later imposed a consecutive 25-year sentence for conspiracy.

The Tennessee Supreme Court upheld Pike's convictions and death sentence on 5 October 1998.

Shipp, who was 17 when Slemmer was killed, was also convicted in connection with the murder and received a life sentence.

Pike's Long Legal Battle

On 22 August 2019, the Sixth Circuit rejected Pike's federal habeas claims, ruling that she could not show she was prejudiced by her trial lawyers' handling of mitigating evidence. Judge Jane Stranch's concurrence noted that Pike would have been ineligible for the death penalty had she been 17, Shipp's age.

On 30 September 2026, a 2–1 majority of the Sixth Circuit stayed the execution while it considered claims about Pike's history of childhood sexual abuse. The US Supreme Court vacated the stay shortly before 6pm local time. Pike's lawyers argue that jurors never heard the full history of that abuse and neglect.