A Tennessee death row inmate has released a statement as she faces becoming the first woman executed by the state in more than 200 years.

Christa Gail Pike, 49, is scheduled to be executed on September 30, 2026, according to court documents cited by Fox. If the execution proceeds, Pike will become the first woman put to death in Tennessee since 1820 and only the fourth woman executed in the state’s history.

The case has reignited national debate surrounding capital punishment, mental illness, childhood trauma, and whether people can truly change after decades behind bars.

The Brutal Murder That Shocked Tennessee

Pike was convicted of murdering 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer in January 1995 while attending Knoxville Job Corps, a federally funded training program for young adults.

Prosecutors said Pike became violently jealous after believing Slemmer had feelings for her boyfriend, Tadaryl Shipp.

Court records stated that Pike, who was 18 at the time, lured Slemmer to a wooded area near the University of Tennessee agricultural campus alongside Shipp and another acquaintance.

The attack was described as especially brutal.

According to prosecutors, Pike used a box cutter to slash Slemmer’s throat, struck her with a meat cleaver, carved a pentagram into her chest, and eventually crushed her skull with a piece of asphalt.

Authorities also alleged Pike kept a fragment of Slemmer’s skull as a souvenir and later showed it to classmates.

Youngest Woman Sentenced to Death

In 1996, Pike was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death, becoming the youngest woman in the United States at the time to receive a death sentence.

Shipp received a life sentence with the possibility of parole, while a third participant was granted probation after cooperating with investigators.

Violence followed Pike even after she entered prison.

In 2004, she was convicted of attempting to strangle another inmate during a prison altercation, leading to an additional 25-year sentence.

Attorneys Point to Trauma and Mental Illness

For years, Pike’s legal team has argued that her execution should not move forward because of severe childhood trauma and mental health conditions that were not diagnosed until years after her conviction.

Her attorneys say Pike suffered years of physical and sexual abuse and neglect during her childhood, experiences they argue deeply impacted her mental state.

According to her defense team, Pike was later diagnosed with bipolar disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder.

In a statement shared with USA Today, her attorneys said: “Christa’s childhood was fraught with years of physical and sexual abuse and neglect.”

The statement continued: “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.”

Her lawyers argue that the woman Pike is today is far different from the troubled teenager convicted nearly 30 years ago.

Debate Over the Death Penalty Intensifies

Pike’s scheduled execution has once again fueled fierce debate about the death penalty in the United States.

Supporters of capital punishment argue the brutality of the crime justifies the sentence and point to Pike’s later prison violence as evidence she remains dangerous.

Others believe executing someone who committed a crime at 18 — particularly someone with documented trauma and mental illness — raises serious moral and ethical concerns.

The case also arrives as broader debates continue over capital punishment nationwide. According to the Death Penalty Information Center, 27 states still authorize executions, while others have abolished or paused them.

A Historic Deadline Approaches

Unless Pike’s remaining appeals succeed or Tennessee’s governor grants clemency, she is set to become the first woman executed by the state in more than two centuries.

The execution would mark a historic moment in Tennessee while also reopening difficult questions about punishment, rehabilitation, mental illness, and whether decades on death row can fundamentally change a person.