Why inmate's accomplices didn't get death penalty as she's set to be first woman executed in over 200 years
Callum Jones
Featured Image Credit: Tennessee Department of Correction
The reason why a death row inmate's accomplices didn't receive the death penalty has been explained.
President Donald Trump wants to restore the death penalty in several states and federal districts, including Washington DC, which abolished the punishment in April 2023.
There's been 34 executions carried out in the US in 2025 as of September 30, while some others are scheduled for next year.
Christa Gail Pike is one of those who is set to be executed in 2026, after she was found guilty of murdering Colleen Slemmer in 1995.
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The then 18-year-old and two others lured Slemmer to her death in the woods in Knoxville, where she was beaten, stabbed, and bludgeoned, and had a pentagram carved into her chest. Pike allegedly thought Slemmer was trying to steal her boyfriend.
The victim's body was later found by a groundskeeper who testified that 'the body was so badly beaten that he had first mistaken it for the corpse of an animal', according to CBS.
So, in 1996, Pike was place on death row, becoming the youngest person to do so at 20 years old - a record not to be proud of.
And she will become only the 19th woman to be executed in the US next year, with an execution date set for September 30, 2026.
We learnt during proceedings that Pike did not act alone in the murder, with her boyfriend, Tadaryl Shipp, convicted of first-degree murder too.
However, court records show he was sentenced to just life in prison, and will become eligible for parole in November. But why wasn't he handed the death penalty as well?
Well, Shipp was only 17 at the time of the murder - meaning he wasn't eligible for the death penalty.
Meanwhile, Pike's friend, Shadolla Peterson, watched the attack, prosecutors say, but she testified against Pike in court, and was ultimately sentenced to probation.
Those representing Pike have long called for her execution date to be delayed indefinitely, and that she serve life in prison without the possibility of parole instead.
Their arguement is that if an 18-year-old Pike had committed the offence now, then they would never hit her with the death penalty.
Pike's attorneys also say that the nature of her crime stemmed from a 'horrific childhood', as they told USA Today: "Christa’s childhood was fraught with years of physical and sexual abuse and neglect.
"With time and treatment for bipolar and post-traumatic stress disorders, which were not diagnosed until years later, Christa has become a thoughtful woman with deep remorse for her crime."