Christa Pike, a convicted killer from Tennessee, has narrowly escaped being the first woman executed in the state since the early 1800s. This last-minute intervention came after the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a stay early Wednesday morning.
In a decision split 2-1, the court announced the stay would remain in place “until further notice” while they review motions filed by Pike’s attorneys and the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office.
The state responded by appealing to the U.S. Supreme Court, hoping to lift the stay.
Pike, who is now 50, was just 18 in 1995 when she, along with her boyfriend and another associate, brutally murdered their 19-year-old classmate, Colleen Slemmer. This “satanic” attack, as it was described, lasted between 30 minutes to an hour, according to court records.
Pike and Slemmer were acquaintances from a vocational program in Knoxville. Reports indicate that Pike had claimed Slemmer was trying to get her boyfriend’s attention and had been speaking negatively about her. Just a day before the murder, she reportedly expressed to a classmate her desire to kill Slemmer, because, well, she “just felt mean that day.” At the time, Pike was armed with a box cutter and a meat cleaver.
The group enticed Slemmer to join them under the pretense of visiting a music store and retrieving some marijuana hidden nearby. Once they were alone, Pike attacked Slemmer, knocking her to the ground and assaulting her violently.
During the altercation, Slemmer managed to break free and attempt an escape. However, Pike’s boyfriend, Tadaryl Shipp, apprehended her and held her down while Pike continued her assault. Despite Slemmer begging for her life, the attack didn’t cease, and they even gagged her using a hair tie.
Shipp’s actions escalated further as he carved pentagrams into Slemmer’s face and chest.
Experts at trial noted that the crime bore “satanic elements” and reflected what they termed “collective aggression.” This phenomenon, they explained, involves a group becoming emotionally charged and engaging in exceedingly violent behavior.
While Pike’s defense raised concerns about her mental health, including severe borderline personality disorder and indications of cannabis dependence and depression, they acknowledged she showed no signs of brain damage or insanity.
In a shocking turn, Pike later exhibited a piece of Slemmer’s skull as a trophy, even bragging about the murder details to peers. She recounted how often she had cut Slemmer’s throat and even brought the skull fragment to breakfast the following day.
Neither Shipp nor the third accomplice, Shadolla Peterson, received death sentences; Shipp was too young at the time. Peterson also testified for the state against Pike.
Supporters of Pike argue that her defense failed to properly present mitigating factors during sentencing, such as her untreated mental health issues. They noted that nearly 25,000 people signed a petition urging Governor Bill Lee to commute her death sentence to life imprisonment.
The stay is, for now, only temporary.
