Christa Pike, who was 18 when she killed her 19-year-old classmate Colleen Slemmer in Tennessee, United States in 1995, is scheduled to be executed on Wednesday. Pike, now 50, was convicted alongside her boyfriend, Tadaryl Shipp, in the killing. Prosecutors said Pike believed Slemmer was a romantic rival and lured her to an isolated area, where the pair tortured and killed her. The case drew widespread attention due to the brutality of the killing, the young ages of those involved, and the carving of a satanic symbol into Slemmer's body.
Pike's attorneys have asked the US Supreme Court to halt the execution, arguing that she was a teenager with untreated mental illness who had endured severe sexual abuse and neglect throughout her childhood. Assistant Federal Defender Stephen Ferrell said Pike was sexually abused from toddlerhood and was raped at ages 11 and 17. He argued that lawyers who represented her during the penalty phase of her trial failed to present the jury with crucial details about her childhood or adequately address her age.
Pike was later diagnosed with bipolar disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. She told police that she initially intended only to fight Slemmer before the confrontation escalated into a frenzied killing. In her clemency petition, her attorneys argued that her untreated mental illness and traumatic upbringing left her unable to "put the brakes on." Pike said in a statement included in her clemency petition that she was a mentally ill 18-year-old kid who took the life of someone's child, sister, and friend.
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee announced on Monday that he would not grant Pike clemency. Her case has drawn attention from advocates who argue that her death sentence is unusual when compared with other cases involving young offenders. The Death Penalty Information Center said 275 people have been executed across the United States for crimes committed at ages 18, 19, or 20 during the modern death penalty era, although death sentences for offenders in that age group have become increasingly uncommon.
Pike's boyfriend, Shipp, was 17 when Slemmer was killed and received a life sentence with the possibility of parole because of his age. He was denied parole last year. A third teenager who admitted to being an accessory received probation. Ferrell also said other people sentenced to death in Tennessee for crimes committed at 18 have had their sentences reduced during the modern death penalty era.
Slemmer's mother, May Martinez, has spent decades waiting for Pike's sentence to be carried out and supports the planned lethal injection. Martinez described her daughter as someone who volunteered with the Special Olympics, enjoyed roller skating, and hoped to build a career in computers. She recalled receiving a call from her daughter on the night of the killing, although the conversation was repeatedly interrupted by poor reception.
If the execution goes ahead, Tennessee will carry out its first execution of a woman since 1820. Executions of female prisoners remain uncommon in the United States, with 18 women executed nationwide since 1976, accounting for about 1% of all executions. The Death Penalty Information Center's executive director, Robin M. Maher, said that if Christa Pike was tried today, a jury that knew about her documented childhood trauma would likely not sentence her to death.
Key points
- Christa Pike is scheduled to be executed on Wednesday for killing her 19-year-old classmate in 1995.
- Pike's attorneys argue that her untreated mental illness and traumatic upbringing should spare her from the death penalty.
- The execution would mark the first time Tennessee has executed a woman in 200 years.
