Tennessee Death Row Inmate Christa Pike Seeks All-Female Firing Squad for Execution
Pike, scheduled for execution on September 30, cites fear of lethal injection due to a rare blood disorder and past trauma.
Christa Pike, a Tennessee death row inmate convicted of a brutal 1995 murder, has requested an all-female firing squad for her upcoming execution. Pike, 50, is scheduled to be put to death on September 30, making her the first woman executed in Tennessee in over 200 years.
Pike was convicted at age 18 for the torture and murder of fellow Knoxville Job Corps student Colleen Slemmer, also 18. Investigators stated that Pike and her boyfriend, Tadaryl Shipp, stabbed and beat Slemmer, carved a pentagram into her chest, and Pike took a piece of Slemmer's skull as a souvenir. Shipp, who was 17 at the time, received a life sentence with the possibility of parole.
Pike's legal team argues that lethal injection, the state's standard method of execution, could be a prolonged and agonizing process for her due to a rare blood disorder that may complicate finding a vein and affect her reaction to the drugs. They also requested that an all-female execution team be used, citing Pike's trauma related to men. Her lawyers have stated that lethal injection administered by men could increase the likelihood of an Eighth Amendment violation concerning pain and suffering.
In August, Pike had also asked the court to consider allowing her to be hanged. Her attorneys previously sought to commute her sentence based on her age at the time of the crime and claims of severe mental illness, but the Tennessee Supreme Court denied this appeal. Her lawyers have since petitioned Governor Bill Lee for clemency.
The prosecution has contested Pike's requests, arguing that she has failed to provide scientific evidence to support her claims about the risks associated with lethal injection. The Tennessee Department of Corrections confirmed that lethal injection remains the method of execution for Pike and that she has not selected a final meal.
Investigators determined that Pike targeted Slemmer after Slemmer innocently waved at Pike's boyfriend, leading Pike to believe Slemmer was attempting to steal him away. Pike reportedly spread rumors and made threats against Slemmer before luring her to an abandoned steam mill where the murder occurred. Pike was convicted in March 1996. She also received a 25-year sentence in 2004 for attempting to strangle a fellow inmate.
Colleen Slemmer's mother, May Martinez, has stated she intends to be in the front row to witness Pike's execution.
