In the shadowed history of America’s criminal justice system, few names strike a chord as chilling as Krista Pike. At only 18 years old, Pike earned the grim distinction of being Tennessee’s sole female inmate on death row — a sentence that reflected the shocking cruelty of her crime and the deep impact it had on the community.
A Lethal Trap
On the night of January 12, 1995, Pike — along with 17-year-old Tadaryl Shipp and 19-year-old Shadolla Peterson — coaxed 19-year-old Colleen Slimmer to a deserted location near the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. Over the next 45 minutes, Slimmer was subjected to relentless torture — both physical and psychological — in an attack that investigators later described as one of the most brutal they’d ever seen.
The violence wasn’t just savage — it was symbolic. Pike used a box cutter to carve a five-pointed star into Slimmer’s chest, a gruesome act that prosecutors cited as evidence of premeditation and depravity. By the next morning, Slimmer’s lifeless body was found in an abandoned factory building on campus.
Arrests and a Chilling Confession
The vicious nature of the crime led to a quick investigation and arrests. Pike, identified as the ringleader, was taken into custody along with Shipp and Peterson. What truly unnerved detectives was Pike’s demeanor: she didn’t just admit to the murder — she seemed proud of it. She described the killing as the “greatest time of her life,” shocking even seasoned law enforcement officers.
Even more disturbing, officers discovered that Pike had kept a fragment of the victim’s skull, wrapped in a napkin and tucked into her pocket — a twisted “souvenir” that she said fit the victim “like a puzzle piece.”
Courtroom Outcomes
During the trial, Pike’s role as the orchestrator of the attack was made clear. While all three participants were charged with first-degree murder, their sentences differed. Shipp and Peterson received life in prison, with prosecutors acknowledging Pike’s dominant influence in the crime.
Pike, however, received the death penalty via lethal injection — a sentence that made her the only woman on Tennessee’s death row. Her age at the time — just barely into adulthood — sparked ongoing debates about the ethics of capital punishment for young offenders.
A Lingering Case
More than 25 years later, the case continues to be discussed — not just for its sheer brutality, but for what it reveals about juvenile crime, mental health, and the justice system’s harshest punishments. Pike’s lack of remorse, and her chilling words during interrogation, still unsettle those who study or remember the case.
The murder of Colleen Slimmer remains a stark, painful reminder of how unimaginable cruelty can emerge in unexpected forms. For Tennessee, Krista Pike’s case stands as a disturbing chapter in its legal history — a story of violence, justice, and a young life lost far too soon.
