The first woman to undergo the procedure in 200 years could choose a terrifying alternative to lethal injection

The woman behind the formation in Tennessee could make history for all the wrong reasons. Christa Gail Pike, convicted of brutal murder, may be the first woman executed in the state in two centuries. What makes his story even darker is that he would choose to die in the electric chair instead of lethal injection. As his case progressed, Tennessee once again lived on the edge between justice and something that felt too difficult to explain.

A case motivated by Knoxville

Back in 1995, Christna Pike was not a household name. She was just an 18-year-old girl studying at the Job Corps center in Knoxville, trying to make something of herself. That’s what the program was supposed to be about, helping young people find jobs, build skills and stay out of trouble.

But with Pike, things took a different turn. Together with her 17-year-old boyfriend, Tadaryl Shipp, and their friend, Shimorolla Peterson, she made a plan that would change her life forever. Their victim, 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer, was a fellow student. Colleen thought that Colleen was in love with her boyfriend, and the jealousy started to boil until it turned into something worse.

They told Colleen they wanted to talk things out, maybe make peace. Instead, they brought him to a wooded area near the University of Tennessee. What happened there was more than anything anyone could have imagined. According to investigators, Colleen was beaten, stabbed, and stabbed about 30 minutes before she died.

A pentagram was carved into Colleen’s chest, and the walker later kept part of her head as a trophy. When the keeper of the foundation found the body, at first he thought it was an animal because that was unknown. Within 36 hours, the three were in hand.

Cold recognition

When the police brought the pike in, he didn’t try to hide what he had done. He agreed, saying that the plan didn’t scare Colleen, but things got out of hand. He said calmly, almost obviously, which only made the detectives less worried.

Prosecutors say this was not an unfair fight; It was arranged. The evidence backs it up. They had Pike’s confession, physical evidence, and witnesses who later bragged about it.

The judge did not take long. On March 22, 1996, a pike was found guilty of killing the first degree and building skills. At just 20 years old, he became the youngest person to face the death row of his boyfriend, because he was still young, he got life in prison. Peterson, who helped but later cooperated, received a shorter sentence and was released years ago.

Almost three decades on death row

Pike’s life behind bars is quiet. He has been trouble free since day one. In 2001, he tried to stab another inmate with a shoelace. The guards stopped him just in time.

His lawyers say he’s mentally retarded, and they’re probably right. They described him as very traumatized, someone shaped by years of abuse and neglect. Reports from psychologists say he has post-traumatic stress disorder and borderline personality disorder.

However, his appeals were unsuccessful. Tennessee courts have rejected all requests to end his sentence. Always, they point to the brutality of the crime as the reason why he should face the punishment given to him.

So, at 49, she’s still waiting, the only woman facing the task, and perhaps the only person who can choose how she will die.

Electric power option

Most people think that executions in America are by lethal injection. That’s true in Tennessee too, but with a twist. If your crime occurred before January 1, 1999, you get a choice. You can ask for death by electrocution.

Pike could have chosen the electric chair, a device that many people thought was gone. It is still legal in Tennessee, and has been implemented in recent years. In 2018, two prisoners, Edmund Zagorski and David Milkler, both invented electrocution instead of injection. They said it was quick and very painful.

The chair, called old smoking, brings up to 2,400 volts to the body. Some call it Swift Justice. Some call it abuse. The state says it is a legal back-up if lethal injection is ruled unconstitutional or if drugs are not available.

And if both are ruled illegal, then Tennessee law allows for either constitutional method of execution. That line says almost anything that can happen if the courts start breaking down one path after another.

If Pike goes through with his murder, and chooses the Chairman, he will be part of a chapter in US history that most people hoped was closed.

Trouble with Tennessee’s Deam fine

Tennessee has had a rocky relationship with the death penalty in recent years. In 2022, Governor Bill Lee halted all executions after an investigation found serious flaws in the way the state tested lethal injection drugs. For nearly two years, no one was killed while the process was being revised.

In 2024, the State announced a new single drug program using Pentobarbital. But that caused another legal storm. Advocates for prisoners argue the drug can make people suffer before they die, violating constitutional rights. A few bugs persist.

Even with the controversy, the kingdom kissed each other in 2025. The first was Oscar Smith, he was killed by lethal injection. It was the first execution in five years, and a boon to the debate over whether capital punishment is near urban America.

Now, with Pike’s name next in line, the focus is on him. The woman behind the makeup is more than just a name on the list. It’s a test case for how Tennessee plans to move forward with the death penalty amid all the turmoil.

The first woman in two centuries

If her execution goes through, Pike will be the first woman executed in Tennessee since before she joined the United States. That was over 200 years ago. It’s hard to even imagine what life was like the last time it happened.

Since 1976, only 18 women have been killed in the entire country. Compare that to over 1,500 people, and you can see how important it is. Women make up less than two percent of all prison inmates.

Courts often take gender, age and mental health into consideration when sentencing. But in Pike’s case, the brutality of what he did left little room for mercy. For many people in Tennessee, his name still brings back memories of the worst massacre the state has ever seen.

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Combat Communication

Pike’s defense team did not stop fighting. They say they should never be sentenced to death, that he was a traumatized young person influenced by his boyfriend and his environment. They argue that he deserves life in prison, not death.

Psychologists who study him agree that he is mentally retarded. They described him as damaged by years of abuse and neglect. His lawyers believe that killing him will not bring real justice, only more tragedy.

Governor Lee has the power to support Clemency and commute his sentence, but so far, he has not shown any plans to do so. Time is running out, and his legal team is pressing harder than ever.

Great question

The controversy over Tennessee’s Deam punishment is not new, but Pike’s case has brought it into the public debate. Supporters of the death penalty say justice works, especially in cases as brutal as this one. They believe that some crimes are beyond forgiveness.

Opponents say otherwise. They call it an outdated and flawed system. They show that the worst executions can be, how disproportionate a sentence can be, and how often mental health is neglected.

Across the country, attitudes are changing. Many nations have stopped killing people altogether. But Tennessee remains one of the few that still gets by. Because this woman is faced with doing, being separated by the difference between life and death.

What comes next

The Tennessee Supreme Court has set Pike’s execution at The Riverbend Man Maxion Security Institution in Nashville on September 30, 2026. He will have to decide how he wants to die. His lawyers are still in favor, arguing that the deadly procedure is illegal and that his mental health should leave his life.

Whether the courts agree to be seen. If his sentence is carried out, Pike’s story will become part of history, not just for what he did, but how Tennessee chose to end his life.

Closing thoughts

Christ Gail Pike’s story is beautiful. It started with jealousy and ended with a brutal murder that has shocked people for decades. Now, as he awaits what could be his final days, his case continues to raise uncomfortable questions about the legal system.

Perhaps some see his death as closure for a long time. Others saw it as another act of violence that did nothing. Either way, this woman facing the state has forced Tennessee and the rest of the country to take a hard look at what it really means to take a life in the name of justice.

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