Christa Pike and the Murder of 19-Year-Old Colleen Slemmer

The Discovery of Colleen Slemmer's Body [00:01:04]

• A groundskeeper discovered a body on the University of Tennessee agricultural campus on a wet January morning in 1995.
• Initially mistaken for a dead animal, closer inspection revealed it to be a severely beaten human.
• Police Chief Phil Keith described the scene as horrific, with the victim's throat cut in numerous places and a pentagram carved into her chest.

  "And at first he thought it was a dead animal. It looked beaten. But then as he got closer, he saw clothing and realized this was a human."

Identifying the Victim and Suspects [00:03:30]

• Investigators tracked hand and knee prints in the mud, indicating the victim had put up a fight.
• Police focused on the nearby Job Corps facility due to previous violence issues.
• Sign-out records from Job Corps revealed four students left the night before, but only three returned, leading to the identification of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer as the victim and Krista Pike, Tadaryl Shipp, and Shadala Peterson as suspects.

  "Four students had signed out together that night, but only three signed back in."

Krista Pike's Confession and the Brutality of the Crime [00:05:40]

• Krista Pike, unlike her co-defendants, was reportedly giddy and bragged to detectives about the murder.
• Pike claimed Slemmer had been trying to steal her boyfriend, Tadaryl Shipp, and that she felt "mean that day" as a motive.
• Pike lured Slemmer to a park, where she, Shipp, and Peterson subjected Slemmer to an hour of torture, including beatings, head slams, and repeated throat cuttings with a box cutter and cleaver.

  "According to both former police chief Phil Keith and court records, Krista Pike told detectives she and Colleen Slemmer had been having problems."

The Horrific Details of Slemmer's Injuries [00:09:40]

• The medical examiner noted an extreme number of cuts on Slemmer's body, exceeding the ability to label them with letters.
• Slemmer was likely conscious for most of the attack, dying from multiple skull fractures and blows to the head.
• A particularly gruesome detail emerged: a rumor that Pike brought a piece of Slemmer's skull back and intended to eat it, which was later confirmed by evidence found in Pike's jacket.

  "The damage was so bad there were parts of her skull missing."

The Fate of the Accomplices [00:13:07]

• Shadala Peterson, who did not participate in the killing but watched, testified against Pike and Shipp in exchange for a plea deal, receiving probation as an accessory.
• Tadaryl Shipp, 17 at the time, was tried as an adult, convicted of first-degree murder and conspiracy, and sentenced to life with a chance of parole.
• Krista Pike, found guilty of first-degree murder and conspiracy, was sentenced to death and was the youngest person on death row at the time.

  "19-year-old Krista Pike was facing capital murder, though. Her confession, the physical evidence, and what she bragged about to friends who testified at trial, that was all overwhelming."

The Botched Execution [00:17:10]

• After nearly 30 years, Tennessee set an execution date for Pike on September 30th, 2026.
• The execution was fraught with delays, with officials struggling for over an hour to insert IV lines.
• After receiving two doses of pentobarbital, Pike remained alive, leading to confusion and a bizarre 911 call reporting a failed execution.

  "We have a medical call for service at the River Bend prison saying that they carried out the execution, the subject didn't pass away, and they need an ambulance because she's not breathing normally."

Aftermath and Lingering Questions [00:21:20]

• Pike was taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where her attorneys claimed she was declared brain-dead before miraculously waking up.
• The incident, coupled with a previous botched execution of Tony Carruthers, led to the resignation of Tennessee's corrections commissioner and a halt to other scheduled executions.
• The case has sparked national debate about capital punishment, with Colleen Slemmer's family demanding an apology and considering legal action, emphasizing that Pike's survival should not overshadow the brutality of her crime.

  "But also, Krista Pike was sentenced to death for a reason. Because of the sick and twisted torture she put Colleen Slemmer through before she killed her."