Why inmate who's about to become first woman executed in 200 years in US state is on death row

In just over a year, Christa Gail Pike's death row execution will make history for a number of gory reasons.

Firstly, the 49-year-old's state-governed killing will see her become the 19th woman in modern American history to be put to death for her crimes.

Secondly, Pike will become the youngest ever inmate to face the death penalty since the Furman period, which saw procedural safeguards put into place on death row in 1976, after executions were temporarily halted four years earlier due to their arbitrary application.

And thirdly, the murderer's long-awaited execution will mark her the first female death row inmate to be killed in the state of Tennessee in over 200 years.

For true crime followers, the last woman to die on death row in the 'Volunteer State' was Martin Eve, who was executed by hanging in 1820 for accessory to murder.

But what exactly could the West Virginia-local have done to warrant such a record-breaking criminal status?

Christa Gail Pike murdered Colleen Slemmer in 1995 (Tennessee Department of Correction)

Christa Gail Pike's crime

For those unfamiliar with her harrowing case, in 1995, a then-18-year-old Pike decided to violently murder one of her classmates in a carefully orchestrated attack.

At the time, she was a promising young student who, despite an unstable background riddled with neglect and abuse, was on track to train as a nursing assistant.

She'd previously endured a year-long bout in a juvenile facility, where she'd garnered an interest in the Job Corps, a federal programme which aimed to provide vocational training to the low-income youth of America.

Not long after joining a Job Corps centre based in Knoxville, Tennessee, however, Pike struck up a relationship with a boy named Tadaryl Shipp. Not long into their romance, the couple supposedly developed an interest in devil worship.

Whilst training alongside Shipp, Pike soon became envious of one of their fellow classmates, a 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer.

Pike became convinced one of her classmates was attempting to 'steal' her boyfriend, Tadaryl Shipp (Getty Stock Image)

Convinced Slemmer was attempting to 'steal' her partner, the killer recruited the help of another friend, 18-year-old Shadolla Peterson, to lure her into an abandoned steam plant, close to University of Tennessee’s Agricultural campus.

Slemmer agreed after being offered marijuana from the pair as a 'peace offering' for their accusations.

After arriving at the isolated site, however, she was attacked by both Pike and Shipp whilst Peterson kept lookout. A court testimony later ruled that Slemmer had been brutally tortured by the couple for as many as 30 minutes.

The group's arrest

Eventually, Pike used a large chunk of asphalt to smash Slemmer's head in, keeping a piece of her skull, which she later showed off around school, leading to her arrest.

It didn't take long for the murderer to confess to her crimes - though, she, Shipp and Peterson claimed they only insisted to frighten Slemmer.

After Peterson testified against the couple - and therefore, secured herself probation - Shipp was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison.

Pike was sentenced to death (Getty Stock Image)

Despite receiving the same charge, Pike was sentenced to death for having ended Slemmer's life, becoming the youngest ever person on death row at the time, aged 20.

Whilst incarcerated, Pike also attempted to murder fellow inmate Patricia Jones, adding a further 25 years onto her sentence.

What has Pike said about her crimes?

In the years since, the killer has attempted to fight against her execution, claiming years of physical and sexual abuse and neglect placed her on an ill-fated track during her youth.

"Think back to the worst mistake you made as a reckless teenager," Pike wrote recently in a handwritten letter provided to a local news outlet, The Tennessean.

"Well, mine happened to be huge, unforgettable and ruined countless lives. I was a mentally ill 18 yr old kid.

Pike will be put to death next year (Tennessee Department of Correction)

"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."

She continued: "It sickens me now to think that someone as loving and compassionate as myself had the ability to commit such a crime."

In a death warrant issued by the Tennessee Supreme Court on 30 September of this year, however, Pike's execution was scheduled for 365 days time.

As such, she'll be put to death on 30 September, 2026.

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