Why woman who's been on death row for 30 years is only just about to be executed

An execution date has been set for next year for Christa Gail Pike, the only woman on death row in Tennessee.

30 years after her horrific crime, the Tennessee Supreme Court said the 49-year-old will face capital punishment on 30 September, 2026.

If it goes ahead, Pike will become the first woman to be executed in the US state in more than 200 years, as well as the 19th woman to die on death row in modern American history.

Her crime took place three decades ago in 1995, when she was convicted of first-degree murder aged 19 and sentenced to death for the murder of Colleen Slemmer, 18, a fellow Jobs Corps worker from Knoxville.

Job Corps is a residential career training program for young people, of which both Pike and Slemmer were enrolled.

Pike reportedly thought Slemmer was trying to steal her then-boyfriend, 17-year-old Tadaryl Shipp, who ended up helping her commit the violent act, alongside their friend Shadolla Peterson.

An execution date has been set for Christa Gail Pike (Getty Images/Alex Walker)

Pike and Shipp lured Slemmer to a remote area of the University of Tennessee’s Agricultural campus, where they brutally stabbed and beat her, while Peterson acted as a lookout.

The killing was extremely brutal, and they afterwards carved a pentagram into the victim's chest before taking a piece of her skull as a souvenir.

Slemmer was discovered by a groundskeeper, who testified that she was 'so badly beaten that he had first mistaken it for the corpse of an animal'.

Pike was convicted after a jury found her guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to death, while Shipp was also convicted of first-degree murder, but was sentenced to life in prison and will reportedly become eligible for parole in November.

As for Pike's friend, Peterson, she allegedly testified against Pike and was therefore sentenced to probation.

But as the case has come back into the limelight following the announcement of an execution date for Pike, it's got everyone asking the same question - why is it only happening now?

Pike has been behind bars on death row for three decades, and is now 49 years old.

Pike has been on death row in Tennessee for three decades (Tennessee Department of Correction)

Why Christa Pike is only just about to be executed

As per the Death Penalty Information Centre, death-sentenced prisoners in the US typically spend more than a decade on death row prior to exoneration or execution.

This is because the legal system requires a lot of complex and time-consuming appeals to prevent the irreversible error of executing an innocent person.

Without thor­ough appeals, mis­takes or mis­con­duct in death penal­ty cas­es would be missed or remain con­cealed.

In Pike's case, attorneys representing her have long argued for her execution date to be delayed indefinitely, believing she instead should serve life in prison without the possibility of parole.

A number of lengthy appeals and extensions in the case have led to the delay of a date being set, as well as the Covid-19 pandemic.

Pike's attorneys filings cite a history of mental illness, including PTSD and bipolar disorder, as well as congenital brain damage, childhood sexual abuse, abandonment and neglect, all of which weren't presented at Pike's trial, CBS News reports.

The 49-year-old is set to be executed next September (Getty Stock Image)

In a statement to Fox News, they said: "Christa’s childhood was fraught with years of physical and sexual abuse and neglect. With time and treatment, she has become a thoughtful woman with deep remorse for her crime."

She also expressed remorse in a handwritten letter provided to a local news outlet, The Tennessean, writing: "Think back to the worst mistake you made as a reckless teenager.

"Well, mine happened to be huge, unforgettable and ruined countless lives. I was a mentally ill 18 yr old kid. It took me numerous years to even realise the gravity of what I'd done.

"Even more to accept how many lives I effected. I took the life of someone's child, sister, friend. It sickens me now to think that someone as loving and compassionate as myself had the ability to commit such a crime."