Tennessee Set to Execute Woman for 1995 Murder at Age 18

Tennessee prepares to execute Christa Pike for a 1995 murder she committed at 18, reigniting debate over the death penalty for young offenders.

Editorial Desk

September 30, 2026 One Min Read

POLICY WIRE — Nashville, Tennessee — Tennessee is set to carry out the execution of Christa Pike, a woman who was just 18 years old when she committed a 1995 murder that has now brought her to death row.

Pike, now 50, is scheduled to be executed by lethal injection on Wednesday at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville. She and her then-boyfriend were convicted of stabbing and beating 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer, their classmate at a job training facility in Knoxville.

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The case, which sparked widespread attention due to elements like the pentagram carved into Slemmer’s body, has reignited discussions about the death penalty for young offenders. Pike’s supporters argue that her age at the time, mental illness, and history of abuse should be considered, while the victim’s family insists on seeing justice served.

Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)

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