Two decades ago, Helen Roberts interviewed Christa Pike to understand the woman behind a brutal murder. At the time, Pike was 30 and had served 11 years on death row.
Meeting a Woman on Death Row
Roberts entered the Debra K Johnson Rehabilitation Center in Nashville in December 2006. It was her first visit to a prison, let alone a maximum-security facility. She felt nervous and intimidated by the strict security and cold environment.
She met Pike through a glass window using a speaker. The two women were close in age—Roberts was in her mid-20s, Pike was 30. Both had curly hair and shared a sense of instability from childhood.
Pike moved to the window ledge to get closer. It was a small gesture, but it showed warmth and a desire to connect. Roberts approached the interview without judgment. She wanted to understand Pike’s life, not condemn her.
Pike was articulate and open. She answered questions clearly, made eye contact, and showed no defensiveness. She spoke about the murder with a matter-of-fact tone, as if recounting a personal memory.
What Pike Said About the Murder
Pike described the night she killed Colleen Slemmer as an ‘out-of-body experience.’ She said she didn’t realize what she was doing. ‘Someone had taken over my body,’ she told Roberts.
Pike accused Slemmer of insulting her and trying to steal her boyfriend. But she admitted she didn’t understand the gravity of her actions at the time. She was emotionally overwhelmed and lived in constant fear.
She expressed deep remorse. But she said no words could make up for what happened. This reflects how trauma can distort guilt and self-perception.
Childhood and Trauma
Pike grew up in Beckley, West Virginia—a working-class city with limited mental health support. Her parents, Carissa Hansen and Glenn Pike, were alcoholics who neglected her.
She had no sense of love or safety. Her grandmother died of cancer when she was 12. That loss sparked rage and suicidal thoughts.
At 11, she was raped by a neighbour. At 17, she was raped again by a stranger who dragged her into the woods. These experiences left deep emotional scars.
She bounced between schools before joining the Knoxville Job Corps at 18. There, she hoped to become a nurse—a dream she never realized. The Job Corps was meant to offer a new start, but she remained disconnected from stability.
Legal and Human Rights Context
In 1995, Pike and her boyfriend, Tadaryl Shipp, murdered Colleen Slemmer. Shipp, 17, got a life sentence with parole. Pike received the death penalty—making her the youngest woman in U.S. history to be sentenced to death.
Pike’s lawyers filed a 226-page clemency petition. They argued her mental health, abuse, and lack of support made her vulnerable. UN human rights experts have called for a halt to her execution, saying capital punishment is inhumane when applied to those with trauma.
Execution and Aftermath
Pike’s execution was scheduled for Wednesday. She received two doses of pentobarbital. Both failed. She remains in critical condition and is being treated in a hospital.
Roberts described the week before as ‘bizarre.’ She couldn’t stop thinking about what would happen. She read that Pike had refused her last meal—a symbolic act of resistance.
When she learned Pike survived the injections, Roberts said it felt like ‘watching a horror movie.’ She called the situation ‘absolutely barbaric.’ The state tried to kill her, then saved her—something that makes no sense.
Why This Matters
Roberts said she could not imagine the person she met being so violent. The woman in front of her was warm, well-dressed, and articulate—very different from the criminal record.
This shows a key tension in criminal justice: the gap between a person and their actions. It highlights how trauma and upbringing shape behavior.
Understanding a person’s background—especially early life—can change how we see criminal responsibility. Pike’s story challenges the idea that violence comes from free will or moral failure.
Roberts continues to follow Pike’s condition. The case remains under legal review. Human rights advocates are calling for a full review of the execution.
Behind every criminal case is a human being shaped by history and pain. Christa Pike’s story is not just about one crime. It reflects a larger issue: how we define justice, responsibility, and redemption in the face of trauma.
Source: BBC News, I interviewed Christa Pike 20 years ago – I can’t stop thinking about her
Sources & further reading
Featured image: Reclining man looming over New York City subway station LCCN2017645506.jpg by Phelan, A. B., photographer, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Image source
