In 1995, the torture and murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer shocked Tennessee and drew national attention, with the details of the case cementing Christa Pike’s name in infamy.
At just 20 years old, she became the youngest woman placed on death row in modern U.S. history.
Three decades later, Pike remains in prison, facing a scheduled execution she argues should not take place. Through her attorneys, she contends that her age at the time, along with diagnoses of bipolar disorder, PTSD, and years of isolation, have left her a fundamentally different person from the teenager who committed the crime.
The state maintains a different position, arguing that the Constitution does not guarantee a painless execution and that her sentence reflects the severity of the offense.
As courts consider her mental health, medical claims, and religious conversion to Buddhism alongside the brutality of Colleen’s final hours, one voice continues to insist on finality: Colleen’s mother, May Martinez, who has spent decades seeking closure for her daughter’s death.