Governor Bill Lee denied clemency for Christie Pike, 50, who was convicted in 1996 of kidnapping, torturing and killing 19‑year‑old Colleen Slemmer; a last‑minute petition to the U.S. Supreme Court seeks a stay before the planned execution on September 30 2026.

Case Overview

Defendant: Christine Pike, 50
Conviction: Kidnapping, torture and murder of 19‑year‑old Colleen Slemmer (summer 1995) in a Knoxville park
Court: Tennessee State Court
Sentence: Death, serving 30 years on death row

Legal Fact: Execution scheduled for 10:00 a.m., 30 September 2026; Method: Lethal injection

Background

The murder occurred at the Job Corps Camp. Pike, then 18, acted with her then‑boyfriend Tadaryl Shipp (17). Shipp received life imprisonment with parole eligibility, while Pike was sentenced to death. The defense has highlighted Pike’s long‑standing history of sexual abuse, bipolar disorder and post‑traumatic stress disorder, factors that recent neuro‑biological research suggests should have mitigated sentencing.

Current Developments

On 7 September 2026 Governor Bill Lee sent a press release confirming that after careful deliberation he upholds the death sentence. Pike’s legal team filed a preliminary stay request to the U.S. Supreme Court, which remains unresolved and, if granted, would delay the execution.

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Outlook

It is expected that the U.S. Supreme Court will issue its decision before the scheduled date, potentially postponing or canceling the execution. If the sentence stands, Pike would become the first woman executed in Tennessee in over 200 years and the 19th woman executed nationwide since the 1970s. A denial of clemency means the scheduled execution will proceed on 30 September 2026 as planned.