Christa Pike committed a heinous act by brutally murdering a fellow Job Corps student, carving a pentagram into her victim’s chest with a box cutter, and keeping a fragment of the victim’s skull as a morbid keepsake to show her peers.

Sentenced to death for the January 1995 murder, she finally gets her date with death, but it is still another year away!

On January 12, 1995, 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer was led to her tragic death by Christa Pike, Tadaryl Shipp, and Shadolla Peterson. Pike was under the impression that Colleen was attempting to take her boyfriend, Tadaryl Shipp, away from her.

However, Colleen’s acquaintances assert that she had no romantic involvement with Shipp. Joseph Scott Morgan and Dave Mack examine the vicious assault that resulted in Colleen’s demise and illustrate how Christa Pike retained a portion of Colleen’s skull and displayed it to other Job Corps participants. Shadolla Pederson cooperated with authorities and received probation for her involvement.

Tadaryl Shipp was given a life sentence but is eligible for parole this month. Christa Pike received a death sentence, and her execution has been scheduled for September 2026.

[Feature Photo: Colleen Slemmer (l), Find a Grave/Christa Pike (r), an undated photograph issued by the Tennessee Department of Correction depicts Christa Pike. (Tennessee Department of Correction via AP)]