Christa Pike, Tennessee’s only woman on death row, is scheduled to be executed on September 30, 2026, for the 1995 murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer. Tennessee’s Department of Correction has confirmed the execution date, while Pike’s legal team continues pursuing challenges and clemency efforts.
The case has drawn renewed attention because, if carried out, Pike would become the first woman executed by Tennessee in more than 200 years. Pike was 18 when Slemmer was killed.
Pike’s attorneys have presented a different account of her background, pointing to severe childhood trauma and mental-health conditions, including bipolar disorder and PTSD. They have argued that those circumstances, along with her age at the time of the crime, should be considered in reviewing her sentence.
Meanwhile, Slemmer’s family has continued to emphasize the lasting impact of her daughter’s death and has opposed efforts to delay or reduce Pike’s punishment.
Pike has also raised concerns about the execution process itself. Her legal filings have challenged Tennessee’s lethal-injection procedures, while her attorneys have sought clemency and asked courts to intervene. The scheduled execution remains subject to any further court action.
The case therefore remains focused on several competing issues: the loss suffered by Slemmer’s family, Pike’s responsibility for a crime committed when she was 18, her documented background and mental-health history, and the legal questions surrounding her scheduled execution.