Youngest Woman in U.S. History to Receive Death Sentence – Christa Pike
it is therefore ordered that you shall be put to death prescrib by law that you shall be transferred to the custody of the W your body shall be subjected to shock by sufficient current of electricity God have mercy on can I please my mom I pleas I love you I love you [Applause] this woman Christa Pike is the youngest in US history to receive the death sentence a tale woven from jealousy a chilling obsession with the occult and one horrifying night that plunged an entire city into disbelief on a Brisk January morning in 1995 a husband and
wife jogging near the University of Tennessee’s agricultural campus spotted a trail of blood across the frosty leaves following the trail they discovered the brutally beaten remains of a young woman half clothed and left with harrowing wounds her skull partially shattered a crude symbol carved into her flesh and what appeared to be a Grizzly Keepsake taken by her attacker that shocking moment tore through the pece of Knoxville a community known for Rolling Hills in southern warmth in the days that followed investigators pieced together
evidence leading to a teenage suspect who seemed to relish the violence as the truth emerged it revealed a terrifying blend of personal vendettas dark rituals and a craving for Bloodshed each clue pointing toward a teenage suspect who seemed to relish violence that suspect was Christa Pike and the shocking details of her crime would cement her place as one of the most unsettling figures in Tennessee’s modern history Knoxville Tennessee in the mid 1990s held a population of around 175,000 people bustling with students
attending the nearby University of Tennessee the city was also known for a specific educational program job Kors located near Dale Avenue in Northwestern Knoxville this now closed facility offered free academic and vocational training for disadvantaged youth at its best job corpse served as a second chance for individuals who had dropped out of high school or struggled with poverty drugs or unstable home environments yet by 1995 the Knoxville job course Center had earned a reputation for mismanagement and frequent run-ins with the law trouble
brewed often within its dormitories where students from difficult backgrounds sometimes clashed instead of bonding indeed the center closed in April of 1995 not long after a final Scandal made the headlines that Scandal was the killing that would forever change how Knoxville remembered its job core and it all traced back to one fateful night in January when four young people left the dorms together and only three returned before the events of that dark winter evening a young woman named Christa Pike arrived at the Knoxville Job Corp with
hopes of turning her life around born in 1976 Christa spent her early years primarily under the care of her grandmother her mother’s struggles with alcoholism and her father’s absence meant Christa’s home life was unstable when her grandmother died Christa returned to her mother fell into drug use and ended up in juvenile detention for theft still there was a glimmer of hope in Job Corp at least on paper Christa was officially enrolled to study nursing though she appeared more interested in exploring Social Circles
than hitting the books not long after arriving she met a young man named tatal ship a Memphis native who had arrived at Job Core to study culinary arts Taral also had a history marred by poverty and gang involvement now he was eager for a fresh start but he brought a fascination with the occult Satanism and dark rituals that both Disturbed and intrigued others Christa and taril became Inseparable fueled by teenage dread and obsessive feelings they formed a bond that revolved around rebellion and curiosity about demonic worship
another student named chadala Peterson often hung around them and shared some of their interests all three lived in the job core dormitories forging tight friendships in an environment meant for self-improvement still beneath the surface resentments and jealousy simmered particularly when another student named Colleen slimmer appeared to compete at least in Christa’s eyes for Tal’s attention Colleen Slimmer came from Jacksonville Florida and had no especially traumatic backstory she was at Job cores to study computer
technology and seemed to be an ordinary hardworking student to those around her yet in Christa’s mind Colleen had overstepped her boundaries according to rumors Christa believed Colleen was trying to flirt with tal or disrupt their relationship Colleen denied it as did mutual friends who insisted she had zero romantic interest in tatal nevertheless Christa’s suspicions only grew stronger reports surfaced that she confronted Coline more than once accusing her of prowling around in the middle of the night or peeking into her
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room whether those allegations had any basis in reality remained unclear what was certain however was Christa’s fixation on Colleen an obsession that would soon push her to extremes sensing that Colleen was somehow a threat Christa told friends she felt mean and wanted to do something about it all of these tensions built until the evening of January 12th 1995 on that night Christa convinced Colleen to join her taril and shida outside the dorm with the promise of sharing some smoke the group walked off campus around 8:00 p.m. strolling beyond
the well-lit areas when next scene only three of them returned unaware of the horror unfolding in the shadowy outskirts most Job Corp students simply assumed the group had gone off to party or break curs curfew no one would discover the terrifying truth until the sun rose the following day if you’re finding this story captivating make sure to hit that like button and subscribe to our channel for more gripping True Crime content your support means a lot thank you in a secluded wooded spot not far from the University of Tennessee’s
agricultural campus Christa Pike confronted Colleen Slimmer what began as an argument escalated to violence in a matter of moments according to later confessions Christa accused colen of trying to steal tatal and then attacked her tatal aided Christa in cornering the terrified victim while chadala served as a lookout though the extent of her involvement would become a point of debate the scene that followed was vicious armed with a box cutter Christa inflicted deep slashes on Colleen’s torso each time Colleen tried to break
free taril chased her down preventing any chance of Escape The Assault lasted close to an hour a cruel episode of torture that escalated to even more disturbing acts a piece of asphalt was used to crush Colleen’s skull and a gruesome Mark a pentagram was cut into her chest reflecting Christa and Tal’s warped interest in satanic themes tragically the violence ended only after Colleen’s injuries became fatal later Christa would brag about taking a piece of Colleen’s skull as a trophy by the time they left the woods The Killers
seemed entirely unshaken back at the dorm Christa shared Grizzly details with at least one other student openly boasting about what she and toddel had done she even displayed her chilling momento still flecked with blood while dancing happily and describing the Fatal blows over here she was dancing around in a circle who is dancing around in a circle CH dancing around the circle while she was telling you about this yes was she doing anything else she was smiling making any other noise she was kind of saying la la la this apparent Glee in
recounting the torture left everyone who heard it deeply disturbed by her cruelty when Colleen’s body was discovered on January 13th 1995 law enforcement began piecing together the evidence the brutality of the scene blood spattered across Dead Leaves articles of clothing tossed about and Footprints marking signs of a struggle was unlike anything Knoxville police had witnessed in a long time the victim unidentified at first had been beaten and slashed repeatedly confirming fing that the attack had been personal
lengthy and fueled by rage while detectives processed the crime scene staff at Job course noticed something a Miss Colleen hadn’t signed back in the previous night but three individuals Christa taril and shida had a more thorough check of Records revealed that they had all left around the same time that alone might not have been enough for an arrest but rumors flew around the campus about Christa parading a piece of bone and bragging of a killing concerning students alerted their parents who in turn contacted the
authorities police wasted no time they questioned Christa taril and shida on January 15th all three quickly crumbled under the weight of their own statements each admitting involvement to varying degrees Christa was the most open about what had happened recounting details that only someone at the crime scene could know s just like she always so mad and [Music] I sh you know it’s harder to hurt somebody when they’re talking to you and you have to see another another person and I told to shut up her she was still bre I said
colen do you know was going to see you and she was just going on talking like that but I don’t know what she say when they searched her room police recovered items that tied her to the murder most incriminating the fragment of Colleen’s skull equally disturbing they found evidence of Christa and Tal’s fascination with the occult including a small Shrine intended for rituals the brutal murder of 19-year-old Coen Slammer created fear and speculation among students and staff Friday Knoxville police quickly dispelled any myths about the case with
a a break in their investigation it did not involve University student it did not occur on the bike trail uh it was not a random or a stranger to stranger uh incident police say the murder suspects were close to the victim the motive of the crime appears to be love triangle it appears that both of the females involed had been involved with a 17-year-old male the victim’s partially dressed body was found in this Brushy area Friday morning an autopsy confirmed she was slashed repeatedly with a meat cleaver and some other small cutting
device perhaps a razor blader box opener authorities say she was then beaten over the head with a large chunk of asphalt from this pile if you’re still with us make sure to like And subscribe to keep up with more shocking true crime stories your support helps us bring these stories to light don’t miss out on what’s next the public reaction was immediate and intense local news outlets ran stories on the slaying of 19-year-old Colleen Slimmer focusing on the alleged Satanic ritual elements and the shocking brutality in March 1996
Christa Pike appeared in court to face charges of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder prosecutors presented overwhelming evidence confessions eyewitness accounts and the barbaric state of Colleen’s injuries they argued that Christa’s violence went well beyond a random brawl that she had planned it and taken perverse pleasure in the act the injuries that christop Pac caused to be inflicted upon Colleen Slimmer are almost Beyond it was at this location that Colleen Slimmer was actually pleading for her life and
Christa Pike showed her no mercy the body of Coen Slimmer ended up in this general area right over here chadala Peterson turned States witness describing the tension in the days leading up to Colleen’s death her testimony revealed that Christa and tal had even discussed a human sacrifice though the specific plan was unclear the defense for Christa pointed to her troubled childhood mental disorders and a history of substance abuse they insisted she was emotionally unstable and influenced by Tal’s dark interests
however the jury was not swayed after mere hours of deliberation they found her guilty on both major counts it is therefore ordered that you shall be put to death by electroc in the mode prescribed by law that you shall be transferred to the custody of the warden at the Tennessee prison and further on the 12th day of January 1997 your body shall be subjected to shock by sufficient current of electricity oh God have mercy upon me please my mom before I Mr the do pleas [Music] please Christa became became the youngest woman in the United States to
be sentenced to death in March 1996 she received the punishment by electrocution Tennessee’s method of capital punishment at that time though lethal injection would remain a future possibility meanwhile taril ship who was under 18 when the crime occurred received a life sentence with the possibility of parole after 25 years shida received a sentence of probation for her cooperation The Savage nature of the killing left many convinced that Justice had been served but the story was far from over even after her
sentencing Christa Pike’s time Behind Bars was marked by further violence and dramatic twists I’m 22 years old and this is it for me and there’s just so much more that I wanted to do with my life and sitting in a room by myself 23 hours a day I should be out going to school or working and having fun with my friends that’s my mom and my stepdad cat Tigger I just love him I love my dog Ed these are the only kind of stuffed animals we can have because we can’t have the ones that are stuffed with things in them they think we might hide something
in there well breakfast is at about 6:30 then I get up when it’s time to go outside and exercise come back in and go to the shower come back and I’m in here for the rest of the day until I go outside tomorrow in 2001 she allegedly attempted to strangle a fellow inmate with a shoelace though she was already on death row she faced an additional conviction related to assault adding more legal complications to her record in 2012 her name surfaced again in a bizarre Escape plot involving two men one was a former guard at the prison and another was an
admirer who had been writing to her authorities caught wind of the plan before it got anywhere underscoring the lingering Obsession people had with her case meanwhile Christa navig created a maze of appeals revocations and legal Maneuvers she once requested an expedited execution date then reversed course and sought every possible delay her lawyers argued that she deserved a stay of execution based on her mental health challenges and the disorganized oversight at her original trial there is nobody that’s going to take me out of
this prison and send me to Disneyland it’s okay mommy the state of Tennesse countered that she had already exhausted her legal Avenues calls to carry out her sentence continued into the 2000s and 20s but as of yet no firm execution date has been set more than 25 years after Colleen Slim’s death Christa Remains the sole woman on Tennessee’s death row having spent more of her life Behind Bars than outside I think I deserve to be in here for the rest of my life I do I know I do I know I don’t deserve to be out walking
around with everybody else in normal society I did something something horrible that is unacceptable and I realize that but I don’t deserve to die for the actions of three individuals when I’m only one person the Knoxville Job Corp tainted by the notoriety of her crime ultimately closed within a few months of the murder As Time presses on the debate persists about whether a life defined by tragedy and emotional trauma can ever justify such barbarity the state of Tennessee is looking to set an execution date for
death row inmate Christa Pike defense lawyers say it’s too early to set an execution date arguing the Tennessee Supreme Court should commute her death sentence the lawyers filed papers before the state’s highest court yesterday it’s in response to the Tennessee attorney general’s office who says Pike has exhausted all appeals options Pike is the only woman on the state’s death row for the family of Colleen Slimmer the pain of losing their loved ones so brutally is a wound that will never fully heal for the legal system the case
endures as a reminder of how quickly a place meant for rehabilitation can become the sight of Senseless violence the legacy of christop Pike’s case is one of darkness and caution it warns of how personal obsessions fears and envy can spiral into an Unstoppable nightmare it also shows that some tragedies are so extreme they draw entire communities into debate over morality the death penalty and the balance between Justice and mercy no matter how her legal Odyssey concludes the story of Christa Pike and the horrors she Unleashed will
remain one of Tennessee’s most unsettling chapters thank you for joining us and uncovering the chilling details of this case if this story has left you disturbed or reflective please share your thoughts and Reflections remember to like subscribe and stay with us as we continue to explore the stories that reveal the darkest sides of human behavior together we keep these lessons alive ensuring the voices of victims are never forgotten thanks for watching please subscribe or follow
