Christa Pike's death row case in Tennessee sparks debate on childhood trauma, accountability and mercy in justice.

Christa Gail Pike, who has been on Tennessee’s death row for decades, is now actively fighting to stop her execution as it is scheduled for September 30, 2026. Christa Gail Pike was only 18 when ...

In 1995, 18-year-old Christa Pike lured classmate Colleen Slemmer into the woods at a Tennessee job corps center, where she and an accomplice tortured and murdered her out of jealousy. Pike became the ...

Christa Gail Pike was just 18 years old when she committed a crime that dominated headlines for years: She tortured and murdered her romantic rival in Tennessee and later showed off a piece of the ...