ADP

Christa Pike

Christa Pike tortured and murdered her 19-year-old Job Corps classmate Colleen Slemmer in Knoxville, Tennessee, on January 12, 1995. Pike and accomplices lured Slemmer to an isolated area; Pike beat and cut her and killed her with a piece of asphalt. A jury convicted Pike in 1996 and sentenced her to death.

At a glance

What happened
Pike subjected Slemmer to prolonged physical abuse, including beating and cutting, before the fatal head injury. She kept a fragment of Slemmer's skull as a souvenir. The jury found that the killing involved torture or serious physical abuse beyond that necessary to cause death. Pike was also convicted in 2004 of attempting to murder a fellow inmate after a 2001 strangulation attack.
When
Murder: January 12, 1995. Murder convictions and death sentence: 1996. Failed execution: September 30, 2026.
Where
Knoxville, Tennessee, near the University of Tennessee campus. Execution attempt: Riverbend Maximum Security Institution, Nashville.
Why / motive
Court records describe Pike announcing an intention to kill Slemmer the previous day. The jury also found the murder was committed to prevent lawful arrest or prosecution.
Outcome
Convicted of first-degree murder and conspiracy; sentenced to death. She survived Tennessee's September 30, 2026 lethal-injection attempt. As reported October 12, she had returned to prison following hospitalization.

Who is involved

  • Christa Pike — subject

Sources

  1. Tennessee Supreme Court filing: Pike“Paraphrase: The filing recounts the January 1995 torture-murder, 1996 convictions, jury findings, and later attempted-murder conviction.”
  2. Christa Pike“Paraphrase: Slemmer was a 19-year-old Job Corps participant killed January 12, 1995, behind the university agriculture campus steam plant.”
  3. Christa Pike“Paraphrase: The killing occurred on the University of Tennessee campus; the execution attempt took place at Riverbend in Nashville.”
  4. Christa Pike“Paraphrase: Pike survived two pentobarbital doses September 30 and returned to prison after hospitalization, according to her lawyers.”

Sources last checked: Not recorded · Dossier last changed: · Editorially reviewed: Not yet reviewed.