Remembering Colleen Slemmer: Research and References
This page contains the research and source material used for the Truth in the Shadows memorial episode “Remembering Colleen Slemmer.”
Colleen Anne Slemmer was nineteen years old when she was murdered in Knoxville, Tennessee, on January 12, 1995. Although her name has appeared in court decisions and news reports for more than three decades, those records often devote far more space to the person who killed her.
This episode was created to return the focus to Colleen—her life, the future she was trying to build, her family’s fight to keep her memory alive, and the years that were taken from her.
Content Note
This episode discusses murder, torture, capital punishment, and a failed lethal-injection attempt. Graphic injuries are not described in detail.
A Note About the Sources
The facts surrounding Colleen’s murder were drawn primarily from court opinions, court filings, archived local reporting, interviews with her mother, and reporting published before and after Tennessee’s attempted execution of Christa Pike.
Some details about Colleen’s personality and interests come from memories shared publicly by her mother, May Martinez. These details—including Colleen’s love of roller-skating, computers, babysitting, and helping children—are included because Colleen’s life deserves to be documented with the same care that has been given to the crime.
Statements attributed to Pike are identified as her account. They should not be treated as Colleen’s version of what happened.
Primary Court Records
State of Tennessee v. Christa Gail Pike
Tennessee Supreme Court, 1998
This opinion contains the central timeline of the case, testimony from Job Corps students, Pike’s statement to investigators, details concerning Colleen’s attempts to escape, and the procedural history of Pike’s conviction and death sentence.
Christa Pike v. Gloria Gross
United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, 2019
This federal appellate opinion reviews Pike’s post-conviction claims and summarizes portions of the original trial record, including the events at Job Corps, the walk away from the center, Colleen’s pleas for her life, and the evidence presented during Pike’s trial.
Tennessee Appellate Case Records
The Tennessee court system maintains a public docket containing filings and orders associated with Pike’s later appeals and execution litigation.
United States Supreme Court Filing
This filing was submitted during the final litigation immediately preceding the scheduled September 30, 2026 execution.
Remembering Colleen
“Tennessee Plans to Execute a Woman for a Murder on UT’s Campus. Here’s What We Know About the Victim”
This report focuses on Colleen’s life before the murder, including her interest in computers, her love of roller-skating, her babysitting, and her volunteer work with children.
“Tennessee Prepares to Execute Christa Pike for the Murder of Colleen Slemmer”
This NewsChannel 5 report includes information about Colleen, interviews with May Martinez, the history of the case, and the continuing questions surrounding the portions of Colleen’s remains retained as evidence.
Associated Press: Tennessee Prepares for the Execution
This report examines the approaching execution, Pike’s age at the time of the murder, the clemency debate, and May Martinez’s effort to keep Colleen from disappearing behind that debate.
May Martinez’s Fight for Colleen’s Remains
“Murder Victim’s Skull Still Evidence”
This archived Knoxville News Sentinel report documents May Martinez’s effort to have the portions of Colleen’s remains retained by the state released for burial.
“Judge May Release 1995 Murder Victim’s Skull to Family”
This report explains that Colleen’s family learned after her burial that her skull and other portions of her remains had been retained as evidence.
“Mom Still Waiting for Skull of Daughter Colleen Slemmer”
This report follows May’s continuing effort to bury all of her daughter’s remains while Pike’s appeals continued.
“Mother Reunited with Daughter’s Skull, Bones During Pike Hearing”
This report describes May being allowed to see Colleen’s skull and other retained remains during a court hearing.
Important Note About Conflicting Accounts
Recent reporting contains conflicting information about the final disposition of Colleen’s remains.
The State of Tennessee has maintained that all trial evidence associated with Colleen’s remains was returned to her mother. May has said that the particular skull fragment Pike carried back to Job Corps was never returned and may have been lost.
Because the publicly available information does not fully resolve that conflict, this episode does not claim that the question has been conclusively settled.
The September 30, 2026 Execution Attempt
Tennessee Department of Correction Statement
Following the attempted execution, the Tennessee Department of Correction stated that officials followed the state’s established protocol and that the protocol did not authorize procedures beyond those performed that evening.
Tennessee’s Lethal-Injection Protocol
Tennessee’s current lethal-injection procedure uses the barbiturate pentobarbital as a single execution drug.
Reuters: Pike Survives Tennessee’s Execution Attempt
Reuters reported that Pike remained alive after Tennessee administered two doses of pentobarbital and that she was transported from Riverbend Maximum Security Institution for medical treatment.
Associated Press: How the Execution Attempt Unfolded
This detailed timeline was reported by journalists who witnessed the execution attempt. It covers the delayed execution, Pike’s condition inside the chamber, the administration of the drugs, and her eventual removal from the prison by ambulance.
Associated Press: What We Know About the Failed Execution
This report examines the legal delay, the two administered doses, Pike’s hospitalization, the state’s protocol, and the independent investigation ordered afterward.
Associated Press: Pike’s Medical Condition
Pike’s attorneys reported that she was unconscious, dependent on a ventilator, and receiving lifesaving medical care following the execution attempt.
Tennessee Corrections Commissioner Resigns
Tennessee Department of Correction Commissioner Frank Strada resigned following the failed execution. Governor Bill Lee appointed former U.S. Attorney Ed Stanton to lead an independent review of what occurred.
May Martinez’s Account
May and her husband, Raul, traveled from Florida to Tennessee to witness the sentence being carried out. May later spoke publicly about what she observed and her frustration that, after more than thirty-one years, the process produced another delay rather than an ending.
About the Other People Charged
Tadaryl Shipp was convicted for his role in Colleen’s murder and received a life sentence.
Shadolla Peterson pleaded guilty to being an accessory after the fact and received probation after cooperating with prosecutors.
The court opinions listed above provide the strongest available record of their involvement. Additional reporting about their cases can be found below:
Continuing Coverage
The legal and medical consequences of the September 30 execution attempt remain unresolved. This reference page may be updated as Tennessee’s independent investigation progresses, additional court filings become public, or reliable new information is released.
Sources last reviewed: October 4, 2026.
A Final Note
Court records tell us how Colleen died.
Her family tells us that she lived.
She loved roller-skating and computers. She babysat, volunteered with children, and traveled to Tennessee because she was trying to build a future of her own.
Before there was a trial, an appeal, a death sentence, or an execution date, there was Colleen.
Colleen Anne Slemmer.
Comments