EPISODE 122 - Christa Pike - The youngest woman sentenced to death

Christa Pike is the only woman currently on death row in Tennessee and holds the distinction of being the youngest woman ever sentenced to death in the United States since the death penalty's reinstatement in 1972. Born on March 10, 1976, in West Virginia, Pike was 18 years old when she was convicted of the 1995 murder of Colleen Slemmer, a fellow student at the Knoxville Job Corps. Pike and two co-defendants—Tadaryl Shipp, who was 17, and Shadolla Peterson, who was 19—were involved in the crime. Shipp received a life sentence with the possibility of parole, while Peterson was released on parole after cooperating with the prosecution .​

Pike's conviction and subsequent death sentence have been subjects of ongoing legal challenges. In 2023, a Knox County judge upheld her death sentence, rejecting arguments that recent rulings on juvenile sentencing should apply to her case .​
In addition to her legal battles, Pike has spent nearly three decades in solitary confinement at the Debra K. Johnson Rehabilitation Center in Nashville. In 2024, a settlement was reached that allowed Pike more privileges and increased interaction with other incarcerated women, addressing concerns about the psychological impact of prolonged solitary confinement .​

Advocates for Pike's clemency highlight her severe mental illness, including bipolar disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder, as well as a history of childhood abuse and neglect. They argue that these factors, combined with her age at the time of the crime, warrant reconsideration of her death sentence.​

If executed, Pike would be the first woman put to death in Tennessee in over 200 years and the first person executed in the state who was 18 at the time of the offense since the death penalty was reinstated.