Christa Gail Pike, 49, is scheduled to become the first woman executed in Tennessee in more than 200 years.

The Tennessee Supreme Court has set her execution date for September 30, 2026, marking a historic and controversial moment.

Pike was just 18 when she was convicted for the 1995 murder of classmate Colleen Slemmer,

a case that shocked the nation for its brutality. She became the youngest woman ever sentenced to death in the state.

Prosecutors said Pike and two others lured Slemmer to a secluded area under false pretenses before the attack. Pike later confessed,

and her emotional 1996 sentencing—where she tearfully asked to hug her mother—has recently resurfaced online, reigniting public debate.

Her defense team continues to fight for a commutation to life without parole, arguing that her youth, untreated mental illness, and traumatic upbringing

would be considered differently under today’s laws. They say she has shown remorse and rehabilitation during her decades behind bars.

Currently housed at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville, Pike remains the only woman on Tennessee’s death row and one of just 48 nationwide.

Her pending execution has drawn national attention, raising questions about justice, mercy, and the evolving ethics of capital punishment.