Christa Pike, convicted of murder in Tennessee, is once again facing execution. The U.S. Supreme Court recently overturned a temporary stay that had delayed her execution. If carried out, she would be the first woman executed in the state since the early 1800s.
The Supreme Court’s decision came after Tennessee requested the lifting of a stay issued by the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. This stay had been a response to motions from both Pike’s legal team and the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office. In a 2-1 split, the Sixth Circuit had halted the execution, awaiting further legal evaluations.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor disagreed with the Supreme Court’s ruling. She, along with Justices Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson, argued that the appellate court should have been allowed more time to consider Pike’s case thoroughly.
In capital cases, ‘[a]ppreciation of our own fallibility, and respect for the judgment of an appellate tribunal,’ demand caution before ‘acting irretrievably,’ Sotomayor said.
Pike, now 50, committed the crime in 1995 at age 18, alongside her boyfriend and another accomplice. They brutally attacked their classmate, Colleen Slemmer, claiming the assault was “satanic.” Court documents reveal Pike’s accusations against Slemmer for being involved with her boyfriend and allegedly “running her mouth.” Pike had confessed a desire to kill Slemmer due to feeling “mean,” carrying a box cutter and meat cleaver at the time.
The attack followed a pretense of wanting to visit a music store and retrieve marijuana hidden in a park. During the assault, Slemmer attempted to escape, but Pike’s boyfriend, Tadaryl Shipp, restrained her. Pike then used a box cutter, while Shipp carved pentagrams into Slemmer’s body. The victim pleaded for mercy, but the assault continued.
At the trial, Dr. William Bernet, a forensic psychiatrist, testified on the presence of “satanic elements” and “collective aggression” in the crime. Dr. Eric Engum evaluated Pike, noting her “borderline personality disorder” and depression, but found no evidence of insanity.
As evidence of her brutality, Pike took a fragment of Slemmer’s skull as a trophy, showcasing it among peers. Meanwhile, she described the violent acts she committed, including slicing Slemmer’s throat and crushing her head with a rock.
Shipp and co-conspirator Shadolla Peterson avoided the death penalty; Shipp was underage, and Peterson testified for the prosecution.
Pike’s allies argue that her defense failed to highlight key mitigating factors like her untreated bipolar disorder and PTSD from past abuse. A petition with almost 25,000 signatures urged Governor Bill Lee to convert her death sentence to life imprisonment.
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