TENNESSEE’S ONLY WOMAN ON DEATH ROW: CHRISTA PIKE’S SEPTEMBER 30 EXECUTION DATE DRAWS CLOSER
Christa Pike, 50, remains the only woman currently on Tennessee’s d#ath row, with her scheduled exec#tion set for 10:00 a.m. CDT on September 30, 2026, at Riverbend Maximum Security Insтιтution. Tennessee officials are continuing preparations for the date, including media arrangements for coverage of the scheduled exec#tion.
Pike was convicted in 1996 of first-degree mu#der in connection with the 1995 k#lling of her Job Corps classmate, Colleen Slemmer, in Knoxville. She was 18 at the time of the offense and has remained on Tennessee’s d#ath row since March 1996.
CLEMENCY PEтιтION FILED
With the September 30 date approaching, Pike’s attorneys have submitted a 226-page clemency peтιтion to Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, asking that her d#ath sentence be commuted to life imprisonment without parole.
The peтιтion presents mitigating circumstances from Pike’s childhood and argues that her age and personal history should be considered. The filing has added another significant legal development as the scheduled date approaches.
LEGAL CHALLENGE OVER EXECUTION PROCEDURE
Pike’s legal team has also challenged Tennessee’s lethal-injection protocol. A hearing examining the planned exec#tion and related medical and legal issues took place in August, while the scheduled date remains September 30.
Tennessee has continued its preparations. The Department of Correction selected official media witnesses earlier this month and has now issued detailed guidelines for journalists covering the scheduled event.
A HISTORIC DATE
If the exec#tion proceeds as scheduled, Pike would become the first woman executed by Tennessee in more than 200 years. She would also be the only person executed by the state in the modern d#ath-penalty era for an offense committed at age 18, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.
For now, September 30 remains the official date, while Pike’s clemency request and remaining legal proceedings continue.
Source: Tennessee Department of Correction; Death Penalty Information Center. Tennessee Department of Correction Death Penalty Information Center
