Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has officially declined to grant clemency to Christa Pike, the only woman currently on the state’s death row. The decision, announced on Monday, September 28, 2026, clears the way for the state to carry out her death sentence later this week.
The execution is scheduled for 10 a.m. CDT on Wednesday, September 30, 2026, at the Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville. In a statement confirming the decision, Governor Lee noted that he upheld the sentence following a “thorough review of the case.”
Pike was 18 years old when she was involved in the 1995 murder of Colleen Slemmer, a fellow student at the Job Corps center in Knoxville. The case has remained in the Tennessee judicial system for three decades, during which Pike’s legal team has filed numerous appeals. Her attorneys have frequently argued that her sentence is disproportionate compared to those of her co-defendants. Tadaryl Shipp, who was 17 at the time of the crime, received a life sentence with the possibility of parole, while a third participant, Shadolla Peterson, cooperated with authorities and received probation.
Historical and Legal Context
If the execution proceeds as scheduled, Pike will be the first woman executed in Tennessee in more than 200 years. Historical records indicate the last such execution occurred in 1820, when a woman identified in records as Mary Eve was hanged.
The Governor’s refusal to intervene comes four months after he took a different path in another capital case. In May 2026, Lee granted a temporary stay of execution for Tony Carruthers, citing the need to address specific procedural issues within the state’s lethal injection protocols. However, no such stay was granted for Pike, signaling the state’s intent to move forward with the current schedule.
In early 2026, Pike filed a lawsuit challenging several aspects of the execution process. Her legal challenge focused on religious freedom, specifically the exclusion of her Buddhist spiritual advisor from the execution chamber. The lawsuit also raised questions regarding the state’s specific execution methods, though these challenges did not result in a stay from the Governor’s office.
State officials have not indicated any further delays, and preparations at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution are expected to continue through Wednesday morning.
