377. “Lil Devil”: Christa Pike’s Road to Execution — The Murder of Colleen Slemmer

As of the release of this episode, Christa Pike remains scheduled to be executed by lethal injection by the State of Tennessee on September 30, 2026. If that status changes or new information becomes available, we will update accordingly. 

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Little Devil: Christa Pike 

On the evening of January 12, 1995, Christa Pike stepped into the room of her friend Kim Iloilo at the Knoxville Job Corps Center and casually announced that she, her boyfriend Tadaryl Shipp, their friend Shadolla Peterson, and Colleen Slemmer were heading out to smoke marijuana. The combination immediately struck Kim as odd. Christa hated Colleen. So why, suddenly, were they going anywhere together?

When Kim questioned her, Christa simply smiled, winked, and walked away. A little more than two hours later, at approximately 10:15 p.m., Kim saw Christa, Tadaryl, and Shadolla return to the center.

Colleen did not return. 

What had happened during those missing hours would become one of the most brutal murder cases in Tennessee history and a pending execution that is slated to happen on September 30, 2026. If the execution happens this month, she will be the first woman executed by the state of Tennessee since 1820.

Join Cam and Jen as we discuss  “Lil Devil”: Christa Pike’s Road to Execution — The Murder of Colleen Slemmer.

Listener discretion by @octoberpodVHS

All music by our E.P @theinkypawprint

Sources: 

[Sources: STATE v. PIKE (1998) Supreme Court of Tennessee, at Knoxville; United States Court of Appeal (2018)]