Ex-official Recalls Pike’s Glee as 1995 Murder Details Resurface
WHO:
Fox News - Christa Pike, 50, was sentenced to death for the murder of Colleen Slemmer, who was 19 and a fellow participant in a federal Job Corps program.
Fox News - Former Knoxville Police Chief Phil Keith was involved in the murder investigation and recalled Pike’s behavior in the New York Post documentary “No Mercy: Christa Pike Unraveled.” He later confirmed his comments to Fox News Digital.
Fox News - Pike was 18 when she, her 17-year-old boyfriend Tadaryl Shipp and 19-year-old Shadolla Peterson were charged in Slemmer’s killing. Court records identify all four young people as Job Corps participants.
Fox News - Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee said Pike remains incarcerated under Tennessee law. Pike’s attorneys have asked him to commute her sentence to life without parole.
TMZ - Gov. Bill Lee said the state’s failure to execute Pike on its first attempt did not necessarily mean she would be spared death row.
WHAT:
Fox News - Keith described Pike as “ruthless” and “almost giddy,” saying she spoke about the killing “like, almost the sense that she was bragging about it.” He called her “Pure evil.”
Fox News - Keith said Pike expressed joy about killing Slemmer after returning to Job Corps, bragged about it again in class the next day and showed shoes with blood on them.
Fox News - Pike’s attorneys say she can walk and speak in full sentences after surviving the failed execution. Lee halted the state’s remaining executions for the year and ordered an independent review.
NY Post - A documentary by The Post revisited details of Pike’s 1995 murder of a classmate.
TMZ - Pike survived two lethal injections.
WHERE:
Fox News - Slemmer was taken to a secluded area on the University of Tennessee’s Knoxville campus.
Fox News - Pike and Slemmer were participants in a federal Job Corps program in Knoxville.
WHEN:
Fox News - Slemmer was murdered in 1995; Pike was convicted and sentenced to death in 1996.
Fox News - Tennessee attempted to execute Pike on September 30, 2026.
Fox News - Pike’s attorneys sought a certificate of commutation in a 2021 filing with the Tennessee Supreme Court.
WHY:
Fox News - Pike’s attorneys cited her age when Slemmer was killed and her history of childhood trauma, mental illness and brain damage in their commutation request.
Fox News - Keith said the crime scene’s brutality and appearance shocked even veteran homicide investigators.
HOW:
Fox News - According to the article, Slemmer’s throat was cut multiple times, she was struck in the head with a large piece of asphalt, and a pentagram was carved into her chest. Pike later confessed to her role, according to court records.
Fox News - Pike received two doses of pentobarbital during the execution attempt and was taken to a hospital. She remained unconscious for days; her attorneys initially believed she was brain-dead, but she regained consciousness, was discharged and returned to prison.
Fox News - The U.S. Supreme Court vacated a last-minute stay issued by the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals before Tennessee’s execution attempt.
(UPDATED October 29, 2026 18:02 UTC)
Christa Pike, sentenced to death for the 1995 murder of fellow Knoxville Job Corps participant Colleen Slemmer, survived Tennessee’s failed execution attempt after receiving two doses of pentobarbital. Former Knoxville Police Chief Phil Keith recalled Pike speaking about the killing with apparent pride, while court records say Slemmer was attacked on the University of Tennessee campus and Pike later confessed. Pike’s attorneys are asking Gov. Bill Lee to commute her sentence, citing her age and history of trauma and mental illness; Lee has halted the state’s remaining executions for the year and ordered an independent review.