Christa Pike was born on March 10, 1976 in Beckley, West Virginia. Her childhood was marked by instability and turmoil, with her parents Carissa Hansen and Emil Glenn Pike, locked in a troubled relationship that was filled with conflict and neglect.
Growing up in such an environment left Christa emotionally scarred. Leading to significant struggles in her teenage years including multiple suicide attempts.
Seeking a fresh start Christa moved to Knoxville, Tennessee, at the age of 18 to join the Job Corps—a government program aimed at equipping at-risk youth with vocational skills, and a chance at a better future.
During her time in the program, she began a romantic relationship with a fellow student Tadaryl Shipp.
However, this period of hope and opportunity took a dark turn when Christa developed a deep jealousy toward another classmate, Colleen Slemmer.
She became convinced that Colleen was trying to steal Tadaryl from her—a belief that consumed her thoughts and fueled her anger to dangerous levels.
On January 12, 1995, Christa, Tadaryl, and their friend Shadolla Peterson devised a sinister plan. They lured Colleen Slemmer to an abandoned steam plant under the pretense of resolving their differences.
What followed was a horrific act of violence.
For approximately thirty minutes, Colleen endured brutal torture. Christa and Tadaryl attacked her, beating her severely, and slashing her throat multiple times with a box cutter.
In a terrifying act, they carved a pentagram into her chest. The assault ended when Christa smashed Colleen’s skull with a large piece of asphalt.
As a final, macabre gesture, Christa kept a piece of Colleen’s skull as a souvenir. And later, she showed it off to others at the Job Corps with a sense of pride.
The crime unraveled quickly.
A Job Corps logbook revealed that all four students had signed out together—but only three returned.
When detectives searched Christa’s belongings, they found a fragment of Colleen’s skull in her jacket pocket.
Confronted with the evidence, Christa confessed. Claiming they had only intended to scare Colleen.
Christa Pike’s trial was swift. In March 1996, she was convicted of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder.
On March 30, 1996, she was sentenced to death by electrocution for the murder charge.
She also received an additional 25 years for conspiracy.
Tadaryl Shipp, who was 17 at the time, received a life sentence with the possibility of parole along with an additional 25 years.
Shadolla Peterson cooperated with authorities, becoming a state witness. In exchange, she pleaded guilty to being an accessory after the fact and was sentenced to six years of probation.
Christa Pike’s case remains one of the most infamous in American criminal history—not only for its brutality but also because of the youth of those involved.
As of now, Christa remains on death row at the Debra K. Johnson Rehabilitation Center in Nashville, Tennessee.
