In September 2026, Tennessee is scheduled to execute Christa Pike — making her the first woman executed by the state in more than 200 years.
Pike was 18 years old when she was convicted of the brutal murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer, a crime that shocked Tennessee and ultimately sent Pike to death row. But to understand how Christa Pike ended up there, we have to go back long before the murder.
In this episode of How to Get on Death Row, we follow Pike’s story from her early life through the murder, investigation, trial, conviction, and nearly three decades on death row. We’ll examine the evidence, the arguments made in court, her life in prison, and the questions surrounding her mental health, trauma, and prolonged isolation.
| Date | Proceeding | Description | URL |
|---|---|---|---|
| April, 14, 2010 | Post-Conviction Appeal | Pike challenged her conviction and death sentence, but the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals upheld the denial of her post-conviction petition. | https://cases.justia.com/tennessee/court-of-criminal-appeals/2011-e2009-00016-cca-r3-pd.pdf?ts=1521656848 |
| April, 25, 2011 | Christa Gail Pike v. State of Tennessee | Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals. Appeal from denial of post-conviction relief. It discusses the original conviction and death sentence, aggravating circumstances, trial evidence, investigation, confession, autopsy evidence, mitigation, ineffective-assistance claims, and Pike's argument that she did not act with premeditation. | https://law.justia.com/cases/tennessee/court-of-criminal-appeals/2011/e2009-00016-cca-r3-pd.html |
| September, 30, 2013 | Appeal of Prison Assault/Murder Attempt Conviction | Pike challenged her conviction for attempting to murder a fellow inmate, arguing ineffective assistance of counsel. The court upheld the denial of her petition. | https://law.justia.com/cases/tennessee/court-of-criminal-appeals/2013/m2012-01640-cca-r3-pc.html |