Christa Pike Becomes First Woman Tennessee To Be Executed in Over 200 Years

• Tennessee death row inmate Christa Pike was executed by lethal injection on Wednesday, September 30, 2026, at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville
• Pike was convicted of the 1995 murder of classmate Colleen Slemmer, an act she committed at age 18 alongside her boyfriend and a third companion
• Governor Bill Lee denied Pike's clemency petition, which detailed a childhood marked by violence, neglect, and sexual abuse

Christa Pike, a 50-year-old Tennessee death row inmate, was executed by lethal injection on Wednesday, September 30, 2026, at the Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville, becoming the first woman the state has put to death in more than two centuries.

Pike's execution also marks a historic first in the modern era of US capital punishment: she is the only person Tennessee has executed for a crime carried out when she was a teenager.

The 1995 murder of Colleen Slemmer

Pike was 18 years old in January 1995 when she, alongside her 17-year-old boyfriend Tadaryl Shipp and a third companion, lured 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer into a wooded area near their Knoxville Job Corps vocational centre.

Read also

Former American Idol contestant found guilty of murdering wife for mistress

The group subjected Slemmer to severe abuse before she died, carving a pentagram into her chest and taking a fragment of her skull. Trial testimony established that Pike regarded Slemmer as a romantic rival for Shipp's attention.

Both Pike and Shipp confessed and were convicted of first-degree murder in 1996. Pike received the death sentence, while Shipp was handed a life sentence with the possibility of parole.

A third co-defendant, Shadolla Peterson, who served as a lookout, testified for the prosecution and received probation. Pike was additionally convicted in August 2001 of attempted first-degree murder following an assault on a fellow inmate.

Clemency denied, Supreme Court rejects stay

In a 226-page clemency petition, Pike's lawyers asked Governor Bill Lee to commute her sentence to life without parole.

The petition detailed her history of childhood violence, neglect, and severe mistreatment, including two traumatic incidents at ages 11 and 17, as well as prison diagnoses of bipolar disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Read also

Former American Idol singer found guilty in wife's murder case after staging death as a burglary

Her lawyers also cited evidence that her mother's heavy drinking during pregnancy contributed to brain development issues affecting impulse control.

"The 18-year-old girl suffering from severe mental illness and near-debilitating trauma no longer exists," her lawyers wrote after Lee rejected the petition.

"Christa is a 50-year-old remorseful woman who understands her actions, receives proper treatment for her mental illness, and provides for and guides fellow incarcerated women."

Governor Lee denied the petition, and on the eve of the execution, the US Supreme Court rejected a last-minute application for a stay.

Slemmer's mother, May Martinez, publicly supported carrying out the sentence.

A group of United Nations human rights experts had called for commutation, while trauma specialists argued that the lethal injection process could trigger severe flashbacks for Pike because of her painful past experiences.

Executions of women are exceptionally rare in the United States. According to the Death Penalty Information Centre, women account for just 18 of the 1,683 executions carried out since the Supreme Court permitted capital punishment to resume in 1976. Pike's execution was Tennessee's 18th overall.

Read also

Akuapem Poloo calls for justice after police share details on phone dealer’s death

OK Elvis involved in an accident

Previously, YEN.com.gh reported that Ghanaian streamer OK Elvis survived a frightening car accident and shared his narration with followers during a live stream after the incident.

The influencer explained that he was around 15 minutes away from home when he crashed into a barricade before he realised what was happening.

In the video, OK Elvis showed his damaged car, with the front bumper torn off and the airbags deployed, and said he had not been seriously injured.

Source: YEN.com.gh