Supreme Court Decision Clears Path for Execution of Christa Pike

Background of the Case

Christa Pike is set to be executed in Tennessee after the U.S. Supreme Court vacated a stay from the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. The stay temporarily spared her from becoming the state’s first female execution since the early 1800s. Pike was convicted of a brutal murder in 1995 involving satanic elements.

Details of the Crime

Pike, her boyfriend, and another accomplice attacked Colleen Slemmer, a 19-year-old classmate at the Job Corps Center in Knoxville. Pike accused Slemmer of trying to take her boyfriend and run her mouth. Armed with a box cutter and a meat cleaver, Pike and her accomplices lured Slemmer to a park by pretending to go to a music store and pick up hidden marijuana.

Pike attacked Slemmer, knocked her down, and hit her with her knee and foot. When Slemmer tried to escape, Pike’s boyfriend held her while Pike slashed her with the box cutter. The attackers gagged Slemmer, and Shipp carved pentagrams into her face and chest.

Trial and Legal Considerations

During the trial, Dr. William Bernet testified about the crime’s satanic elements and group aggression. Dr. Eric Engum noted Pike’s severe borderline personality disorder and evidence of cannabis dependence and depression. Despite emotional issues, Pike showed no brain damage or insanity signs.

Pike kept a small piece of Slemmer’s crushed skull as a trophy, openly displaying it at school after the murder.

Legal Challenges and Mitigating Factors

Defense supporters argue that Pike’s legal team failed to present mitigating factors adequately, including untreated bipolar disorder and PTSD from past violence and assaults. A petition with nearly 25,000 signatures requests that Governor Bill Lee commute her sentence to life imprisonment.