Key facts
- Christa Pike is scheduled for execution on September 30, 2026.
- She would be the first woman executed in Tennessee in over 200 years.
- Pike was convicted of the 1995 murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer.
- Pike claims the lethal injection protocol violates her constitutional and religious rights.
- Tennessee updated its lethal injection protocol in December 2024 to use pentobarbital.
- Pike's attorneys cite her unique medical conditions and issues with the protocol.
Christa Pike, the only woman on death row in Tennessee, is scheduled to be executed on September 30, 2026, marking the first time a woman has been executed in the state in over two centuries. Pike, who was 18 at the time of the crime, was convicted in 1995 for the murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer. Prosecutors alleged Pike believed Slemmer was interfering in her relationship and lured her to a secluded area where she was tortured and killed.
Pike's legal team is contesting the execution method, arguing that lethal injection violates her constitutional and religious rights. She claims she is being denied access to her Buddhist spiritual adviser, which infringes on her religious freedom. Furthermore, her attorneys argue that her unique medical conditions make the lethal injection process particularly risky and could lead to a botched execution, citing concerns about secrecy, untrained staff, and the state's updated one-drug pentobarbital protocol adopted in December 2024.
Tennessee officials have responded that Pike has not sufficiently demonstrated that lethal injection would violate her rights. Her attorneys have filed a request with the Supreme Court to stay the execution. Tennessee Governor Bill Lee announced on Monday that he would not grant clemency.