A US state is moving forward with its first female execution in over 200 years — and the horrifying crime behind it has been revealed.

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In 1996, Christa Pike was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death. She became the only woman on Tennessee’s death row, a status she still holds today.

Tadaryl Shipp received life in prison without the possibility of parole, and the parole board has repeatedly denied him any chance of release.
Shadolla Peterson, who cooperated with investigators, received probation and avoided prison time.

Nearly ten years after her conviction, Christa was involved in another violent incident. In 2004, she attempted to strangle an inmate, which added 25 more years to her sentence. Her attorneys argue that the act was the result of untreated mental illness, trauma, and instability.

The legal battle over her death sentence has lasted almost three decades. Her defense team continues to insist that:

  • She was barely an adult

  • She suffered years of abuse

  • She struggles with bipolar disorder and PTSD

  • The system failed to recognize and treat her early warning signs

Meanwhile, Colleen Slemmer’s family maintains that nothing can ever justify the cruelty their daughter endured.

For the First Time in Over 200 Years…

Tennessee paused all executions in 2022, after concerns were raised about the state’s lethal injection procedures. But after a full review and new protocols, executions resumed in 2025.

Then, in one of the most consequential decisions in the state’s modern history, the Tennessee Supreme Court approved a motion to set a formal execution date.

➡️ Christa Pike is scheduled to be executed on September 30, 2026.

If carried out, she would become:

  • the first woman executed in Tennessee since 1820, and

  • only the fourth woman executed in the state’s recorded history

This rare and highly emotional case has rekindled intense debate across the nation — with questions about the death penalty, the criminal responsibility of young offenders, the impact of trauma, and the boundaries of justice.

As the execution date draws closer, the story of Christa Gail Pike has evolved far beyond the crime itself. It has become a mirror — reflecting the complexities of justice, the devastation of violence, the psychological scars that shape young lives, and the unresolved debates surrounding the death penalty in modern America. The state of Tennessee now stands at an intersection of legal responsibility, moral questioning, and emotional tension that few cases in its history have ever produced.

The Legal Battlefield That Spanned Three DecadesContinue reading…

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