2Nashville, TN – The Tennessee Supreme Court this week authorized the first execution of a female inmate in more than 200 years, setting a September 30, 2026 date for the death of Christa Gail Pike, who was convicted nearly three decades ago in one of the state’s most brutal killings.

Pike, now 49, was sentenced to death for the 1995 torture and murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer, a fellow participant in the Job Corps program in Knoxville. Prosecutors said Pike, then 18, lured Slemmer into a wooded area with the help of two others before carrying out a prolonged assault that ended in Slemmer’s death. The attack included the carving of a pentagram into Slemmer’s chest and Pike keeping a piece of her skull as a souvenir .

The high court rejected Pike’s latest appeal for clemency, rul

See Full Page