Christa Pike, who was sentenced to death in the US state of Tennessee, was hospitalized on Thursday after authorities "failed" to carry out her execution. So, who is Christa Pike and why did she receive the death penalty?
WHO IS CHRISTA PIKE?
Christa Gail Pike, who was sentenced to death in the US state of Tennessee, has been on death row for nearly 30 years for the murder of 19-year-old Job Corps student Colleen Slemmer in 1995. Pike was 18 years old when he committed the murder. Current records from the Tennessee Department of Corrections list Pike as the only female inmate on death row in the state.
THE LIFE OF CHRISTA PIKE AND THE PERIOD BEFORE THE MURDER
Pike was born on March 10, 1976. During his teenage years, he participated in the Job Corps program in Tennessee. Colleen Slemmer was also a student in the same program. It was reflected in the court records that there had been disagreements between the two young women before, and Pike said that Slemmer was having problems with her boyfriend.
The day before the murder, Pike told a friend he wanted to kill Slemmer, according to court records. On the night of January 12, 1995, Pike walked outside the center with Slemmer, her boyfriend, Tadaryl Shipp, and another Job Corps student. The group then went to a secluded area near the University of Tennessee agricultural campus in Knoxville.
HOW WAS COLLEEN SLEMMER KILLED?
That's where Slemmer was attacked, according to evidence in court records. During the investigation, Pike admitted to assaulting Slemmer and inflicting various injuries on him. It was stated that Slemmer tried to escape, asked for help, and the attack lasted approximately 30 minutes to an hour.
Slemmer's body was found the next morning on the university's agricultural campus. During the forensic examination, many cuts and blow marks were detected on his body. The Tennessee Supreme Court decision included in detail the findings that the murder involved severe physical violence.
Some elements of the incident resonated with the public, fueled by fears of Satanism-related crimes that were widespread in the United States in the 1990s. Court records also included evidence that a pentagram was found on the victim's body.
WHY DID HE GET THE DEATH SENTENCE?
Pike was convicted of first-degree premeditated murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder. He was sentenced to death by a jury in 1996. The Tennessee Supreme Court upheld the conviction and death sentence in 1998.
In the court's evaluation, two aggravating circumstances stood out in support of the death penalty:
The murder involves torture or severe physical violence beyond what is necessary to result in death.
The murder was intended to prevent the capture or prosecution of Pike or any other person.
Pike's death sentence was originally set to be executed by electric chair. Later, the execution method was changed to lethal injection.
WHAT WAS PIKE'S DEFENSE?
Over the years, Pike's attorneys have pointed to the fact that his client was only 18 at the time of the murder, his history of severe childhood abuse and neglect, and his mental health problems. The defense argued that young age and developmental factors should matter in considering the death penalty. In his application for amnesty, Pike stated that he felt remorse for the murder.
Pike's boyfriend, Tadaryl Shipp, did not receive the death penalty and was sentenced to life in prison because he was 17 at the time of the crime. The third person connected to the incident was subjected to a different sentence.
