Barring an improbable, last minute stay of execution, Christa Pike will become the first woman executed by the state of Tennessee in over 200 years when she receives the lethal injection at 10:00AM local time today (Wednesday, September 30) at the Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville.
The 50-year-old was sentenced to death in 1996 after being convicted of murdering 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer, a fellow student at the Knoxville Job Corps Center.
Pike’s relationship with fellow student Tadaryl Shipp, 17, led to her involvement in the brutal torture and murder of Slemmer, whom she reportedly viewed as a romantic rival.
Pike, Shipp and another student, Shadolla Peterson, lured Slemmer to an isolated spot near the University of Tennessee’s agricultural campus, where she was stabbed to death. Pike was accused of torturing the teenager and cutting her throat with a box cutter.
Pike, now 50, is the only woman on death row in Tennessee. If her sentence is carried out, it will make her the first female to be put to death by the US state in over 200 years.
At the time of writing, that seems all but certain to come to fruition.
The Tennessee Supreme Court has turned down Pike’s final legal challenge, clearing the way for the state to carry out her execution, while Governor Bill Lee made it clear he would not be intervening to grant her clemency. Meanwhile, the US Supreme Court declined yesterday to stop the execution, effectively exhausting Pike’s appeal options.
In the days leading up to today’s execution, much has been made of the 30 year old case. Pike has contested both her conviction and the method in which she is set to be executed, but claimed earlier this week to be “at peace” whether she was granted clemency or not.
Given the circumstances, there has been particular scrutiny placed on Pike’s pending execution, on top of the usual morbid curiosity as to how it will be carried out.
Barring an improbable, last minute stay of execution, Christa Pike will become the first woman executed by the state of Tennessee in over 200 years when she receives the lethal injection at 10:00AM local time today (Wednesday, September 30) at the Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville.
The 50-year-old was sentenced to death in 1996 after being convicted of murdering 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer, a fellow student at the Knoxville Job Corps Center.
Pike’s relationship with fellow student Tadaryl Shipp, 17, led to her involvement in the brutal torture and murder of Slemmer, whom she reportedly viewed as a romantic rival.
Pike, Shipp and another student, Shadolla Peterson, lured Slemmer to an isolated spot near the University of Tennessee’s agricultural campus, where she was stabbed to death. Pike was accused of torturing the teenager and cutting her throat with a box cutter.
Pike, now 50, is the only woman on death row in Tennessee. If her sentence is carried out, it will make her the first female to be put to death by the US state in over 200 years.
At the time of writing, that seems all but certain to come to fruition.
The Tennessee Supreme Court has turned down Pike’s final legal challenge, clearing the way for the state to carry out her execution, while Governor Bill Lee made it clear he would not be intervening to grant her clemency. Meanwhile, the US Supreme Court declined yesterday to stop the execution, effectively exhausting Pike’s appeal options.
In the days leading up to today’s execution, much has been made of the 30 year old case. Pike has contested both her conviction and the method in which she is set to be executed, but claimed earlier this week to be “at peace” whether she was granted clemency or not.
Given the circumstances, there has been particular scrutiny placed on Pike’s pending execution, on top of the usual morbid curiosity as to how it will be carried out.
As mentioned above, Pike’s sentence is to be carried out at 10:00AM local time, while state officials must carefully manage the execution chamber and the adjacent viewing rooms in accordance with strict protocols.
As per reports, Tennessee law dictates who can witness the execution, limiting attendance to prison personnel, judicial representatives, family members, and a small, select group of journalists.
Meanwhile, only a few individuals are permitted inside the execution chamber itself. The facility’s warden – or an associate warden – will oversee the execution to ensure that state protocols are followed exactly.
The execution team will secure Pike on the gurney with leather straps, before administering the lethal dose of pentobarbital. A prison physician will remain in the room or nearby to monitor the Pike’s vital signs and officially declare the time of death.
Representatives from the state government, including the state attorney general, and the county sheriff from where the crime occurred, are also authorized to be inside the chamber.
As for those permitted to stand in the viewing room, the law allows both the victim’s family and representatives chosen by Pike to watch the execution through a one-way glass window.
May Martinez, the mother of the victim, and her stepfather, Raul Martinez, are permitted to attend. In a previous Facebook post, Raul shared: “We will be there the morning of the 30th of September to ensure that her punishment is carried out.”
May Martinez has spoken publicly about her desire to see the sentence carried out after waiting decades. She stated, “Every time I think about it, I think about Colleen feeling that pain and trying to get up and run,” adding, “She trusted everybody, and that was her downfall.”
Along with those previously mentioned, Pike is allowed to have her defense attorney and her chosen spiritual advisor present at her execution. Pike stated in her records that she wanted to have her spiritual advisor in the room to help her practice meditation during her final moments.