Christa Pike, who has spend more than three decades on death row, is set to be the first woman in over 200 years to be executed in Tennessee on Sept. 30.
She is schedule to be killed by lethal injection at the Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville.
Convicted and sentenced to death for the 1995 killing of Colleen Slemmer in Knoxville, Pike, 50, will be the first person to be put to death in Tennessee for a crime committed at age 18 since capital punishment was reinstated in 1976.
Here's what to know ahead of the execution.
Who is Christa Pike and what did she do?
Pike was convicted of first degree murder for the 1995 torture and murder of Colleen Slemmer, receiving the death sentence just a year later. Pike was 18 years old when she brutalized Slemmer with her boyfriend, Tadaryl
Shipp, who avoided the needle due to being 17 at the time of the crime. He's been behind bars since and will be eligible for parole in 2031.
Pike, a member of the Jobs Corp, boasted about the murder and displayed a piece of Slemmer's skull to other students. She was arrested by investigators three days after the murder.
What time will Christa Pike be executed?
The execution is set for 10 a.m. CT Sept. 30, but preparations have been underway for months. A redacted copy of the Tennessee Department of Correction's lethal injection protocol, released in 2025, execution provides a rough schedule for what's expected:
Before the execution:
- 48 hours before:
- All staff and vehicles are put in place for the execution.
- The "female inmate" is transferred from the Debra K. Johnson Rehabilitation Center to the Riverbend Maximum Security Institution.
- 12 hours before:
- Riverbend's access is restricted to limited personnel, including law enforcement, corrections personnel, and witnesses.
- Riverbend is locked down until the execution is concluded.
- The last meal is served at 12 a.m. the night before, with all utensils and leftover food being removed from the cell.
- All non-contact visits and phone calls the inmate has, excluding those with attorneys, are concluded.
The day of the execution:
- 8 a.m.:
- The injection team leader prepare syringes of saline and pentobarbital, an extremely strong sedative that is lethal in high doses. Backup syringes are also prepared in case the first injection does not kill the inmate.
- 8:30 to 9:15 a.m.:
- All witnesses, including immediate family members of the victim, are expected to be inside of the building.
- 10 a.m.:
- Personnel remove the inmate from their cell, restrain them to a gurney, and transfer them to the execution camber.
- Several figures, including the warden, attorney general, and a member of the inmate's defense team enter the execution chamber. Someone from the clergy may also be present if requested.
- Primary and backup IV lines are inserted into the inmate. A electrocardiograph, which monitors the inmate's heart, is also attached to their chest.
- All witnesses are brought to their appropriate rooms and a camera feed is activated.
- 10:10 a.m.:
- The warden opens the blinds to the witness rooms and contacts the Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Correction to ensure no last-minute stay or reprieve has been granted.
- The warden asks the inmate if they want to make a last statement.
- The warden gives the signal to proceed, and the injection team leader administers the syringes.
- A five-minute waiting period begins. When it ends, all witness blinds are closed.
- A physician confirms if the inmate is deceased and reports their findings to the warden. If the inmate is still alive, the blinds reopen and the injections are repeated.
- The warden declares the sentence has been carried out and directs witnesses to exit the room.
Is there a documentary about Christa Pike?
A documentary titled "Dead Woman Walking: Christa Pike Vs Tennessee" was produced by Sinclair Broadcast Group's "Criminally Obsessed" video podcast in collaboration with WZTV in Nashville and WTVC in Chattanooga. It was released to Youtube on Sept. 18, and examines the extreme abuse Pike received as a child, as well as her status as the only woman currently on Tennessee death row. It also includes interviews with Pike, as well as with the mother of Colleen Slemmer, Pike's victim.
Tennessean reporter Evan Mealins contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: What time is Christa Pike's execution in Tennessee? What to know
