Tennessee Death Row Inmate Christa Pike Seeks All-Female Execution Team

Christa Pike, a female inmate on Tennessee's death row, is scheduled for execution on September 30 and has requested an all-female team to carry out her lethal injection. This request comes as she prepares to become the first woman executed in Tennessee in over 200 years.

Pike, now 50, was convicted for the January 1995 murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer. At the time of the crime, Pike was 18. Prosecutors stated that Pike lured Slemmer to an abandoned building, where she tortured her for over an hour. Pike then bludgeoned Slemmer with a piece of asphalt, crushing her skull, and took a piece of the victim's skull as a trophy. She reportedly showed the piece of skull to classmates. Pike was assisted in the murder by her boyfriend, Tadaryl Shipp, and a classmate, Shadolla Peterson.

In 1996, Pike became the youngest woman sentenced to death in the United States. Her defense team has cited historic child abuse allegations and undiagnosed bipolar disorder in appeals for clemency, arguing for a sentence of life without parole.

Pike’s specific request for an all-female execution team is reportedly due to claims that being subdued by men would trigger past childhood sexual abuse. This request has been met with strong opposition from the victim's family.

May Martinez, Colleen Slemmer's mother, plans to attend the execution and will be seated in the front row, holding a picture of her daughter. "Slemmer's family said no matter what Pike claims, it will not account for the horrific circumstances in which she murdered her," the family stated. They remembered Colleen Slemmer as a kind, gentle, and proud "computer nerd" who enjoyed helping others.

Pike has become an artist while incarcerated, with her attorneys noting her work. One of her artworks from 2017 has been presented as part of her legal appeals.