Unprecedented Move in Tennessee: Why This Woman's Execution is Making History

Christa Gail Pike, who is set to become the first woman executed in Tennessee for over 200 years, will have a special master appointed in her case. The inmate is the only female on death row in the US state, after being convicted of a horrifically gruesome murder. Back in January 1995, Pike was sentenced to death after she was found guilty of killing 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer, aged just 18. Pike had become jealous of her boyfriend at the time, 17-year-old Tadaryl Shipp, as she thought Slemmer was interested in him while they were part of the Knoxville Job Corps program. She would kill her classmate using a box cutter, a cleaver, and a piece of asphalt after luring her to the woods, beating and stabbing her before carving a pentagram into her chest. But now, Shelby County Senior Judge Mark Ward has been appointed as special master by the Tennessee Supreme Court ahead of Pike's execution on September 30, 2026. Pike's execution is scheduled for September 30. Credit: Tennessee Department of Corrections What is a special master? Ward's job will be to assess whether the execution is constitutional, as Pike's legal team has spoken at length about the 50-year-old's physical and mental health. He will also decide whether Pike will undergo too much pain during execution, going through options alongside the inmate's Buddhist advisor with her. But with Ward being appointed, the case has become the first of its kind in Tennessee to have a special master involved. Pike's attorney, Stephen Ferrell, highlighted concerns before the execution, even making a special request to the state . He explained: "We are particularly concerned given Christa Pike’s blood condition thrombocytopenia, which leads to excessive bleeding, as well as her small veins which make the insertion of a needle difficult, even for the most trained medical professionals." Ferrell also spoke of "the difficulty establishing IV lines," as this has resulted in "prolonged and botched" executions of inmates in the past. "Pike’s unique condition would cause a bloody froth in her lungs that would amount to drowning," he further claimed. "Since the state released the 2025 execution protocol, defense counsel, medical experts, and advocates have warned that the lack of clarity on any number of issues would result in a torturous execution." Christa Gail Pike's attorney has argued against the lethal injection. Credit: Death Penalty Information Center Pike's legal team argued against execution In arguments against the death penalty, her lawyers said that an execution would be unconstitutional because of a history of abuse by men. The execution is set to be carried out by a team of men. One of Pike's representatives, Attorney Luke Ihnen, released a statement which read: "We are pleased that the Tennessee Supreme Court recognizes and is taking seriously the problems we have identified with Tennessee’s lethal injection protocol as it applies to Christa’s specific mental and medical needs. "Christa suffered unimaginable sexual violence and abuse by adult male authority figures throughout her childhood." If the current plan is to go ahead, Pike would be transported from Debra K. Johnson Rehabilitation Center, a female prison, and moved to Riverbend Maximum Security Institution, an all-male facility. Featured image credit: Tennessee Department of Corrections