In the long, troubled history of American crime, few cases have haunted the public the way the story of Christa Gail Pike has. In 1995, Knoxville, Tennessee — a lively college town — became the scene of one of the most disturbing crimes in state history, committed by an 18-year-old whose life had been shaped by trauma and instability.
Christa, a troubled teen at the Knoxville Job Corps, grew jealous of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer after convincing herself that Colleen wanted her boyfriend. What began as insecurity spiraled into obsession. On January 12, 1995, Christa lured Colleen into nearby woods, where jealousy exploded into shocking violence. Investigators later described the attack as one of the most brutal they had ever seen.
Christa was sentenced to death in 1996, becoming the only woman on Tennessee’s death row. Her case sparked decades of legal battles centered on trauma, mental illness, and youth accountability. Meanwhile, Colleen’s family has spent 30 years carrying the weight of unimaginable loss.
Now, after renewed execution protocols, Christa Pike is scheduled to be executed on September 30, 2026 — potentially becoming the first woman executed in Tennessee in over 200 years. Her case continues to raise painful questions about justice, trauma, and the true cost of violence.
