Tennessee has set Christa Pike's execution for Sept. 30 after courts and the governor denied relief.
Why it matters: Pike is Tennessee's only woman on death row, and her case is drawing attention because of her age at the time of the crime and abuse claims. The scheduled execution would be Tennessee's first of a woman since 1820.
- Christa Gail Pike is scheduled to be executed Sept. 30, 2026, in Tennessee.
- The Tennessee Supreme Court denied Pike's request to halt the execution on Sept. 23, 2026.
- Gov. Bill Lee said he would not intervene after reviewing Pike's clemency request.
- Pike is Tennessee's only woman on death row and would be the state's first woman executed since 1820.
Tennessee is moving forward with the execution of Christa Gail Pike on Sept. 30, 2026, after the state Supreme Court declined to stop it and Gov. Bill Lee said he would not grant clemency.
The court denial came on Sept. 23, 2026, and Lee said in a separate statement that, after reviewing Pike's request, he would not intervene. Pike was convicted in connection with the 1995 killing of fellow Job Corps student Colleen Slemmer in Knoxville when Pike was 18.
The state has already begun public preparations for the execution, including issuing media guidelines and selecting official media witnesses, according to the Associated Press. The AP also reported that the last recorded female execution in Tennessee was in 1820, which would make Pike the state's first woman executed in more than 200 years.
Pike's lawyers and supporters have argued that her childhood abuse, neglect, PTSD and youth at the time of the offense should weigh against execution. Robin Maher, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center, said in prior reporting that if Pike were tried today, she did not believe a jury aware of the documented abuse would sentence her to death.
A petition before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights also alleges trial and detention-rights violations in Pike's case, but Tennessee's execution plans have moved ahead.
By the numbers
- Sept. 30, 2026 - scheduled execution date for Christa Pike
- 1820 - last recorded year Tennessee executed a woman
Yes, but: Pike's legal team and supporters still argue that her background and youth at the time of the crime should mitigate the sentence, even as state authorities proceed.
What's next: Unless there is further court action or executive intervention, Tennessee is set to carry out the execution on Sept. 30.