Tennessee could soon carry out its first execution of a woman in more than 200 years after the state’s Supreme Court cleared the way for the death sentence of Christa Gail Pike, now 49 and the only woman on Tennessee’s death row. Pike was 18 when she was convicted for the 1995 murder of fellow student Colleen Slemmer near Knoxville. Prosecutors said jealousy over a romantic relationship led Pike, along with two others, to lure Slemmer to a wooded area, where she was killed in an attack that shocked both investigators and the public. Pike was later convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death, while her accomplices received lesser sentences. Years later, Pike also received an additional prison term after being involved in a violent incident while incarcerated.

After decades of appeals, the state has scheduled her execution for September 30, 2026, though her legal team continues efforts to halt the sentence. Her attorneys argue that her troubled upbringing, history of abuse, and mental health diagnoses should be considered as factors against execution. They also say Pike has shown remorse over the years, raising questions about punishment, rehabilitation, and how justice should evolve over time. If the execution proceeds, it would mark Tennessee’s first execution of a woman since 1820, making the case both historically rare and deeply complex in the ongoing national debate over capital punishment.