What We Know
Colleen Slemmer: What We Know
Video · 2:55 · Watch on YouTube
Who was Colleen Slemmer, and what is her family asking for? She grew up in Orange Park, Florida. She loved roller skating, volunteered with the Special Olympics and rebuilt computers with her stepfather. In the fall of 1994 she moved to Knoxville, Tennessee, for the Job Corps, to train for a career in computers. She was murdered on Jan. 12, 1995. She was 19. After the Sept. 30, 2026 attempt to carry out the sentence in her case, her family asked the public to "think about Colleen." This video does not show or describe her death or the execution attempt.
Who she was
- Grew up in Orange Park, Fla., with her mother, stepfather and younger sister (WVLT; WKRN; First Coast News).
- Loved roller skating (AP; WKRN; WVLT).
- Volunteered with the Special Olympics and helped children with special needs at school lunch (AP; Nashville Banner; WKRN).
- Took computers apart and rebuilt them with her stepfather; wanted a career in computers (AP; WKRN).
- Her mother, May Martinez, to WKRN: "very, very easy going and just always smiling."
What's confirmed
- Fall 1994Colleen moves to the Knoxville Job Corps center (WVLT; WKRN; FOX 17).
- Jan. 12, 1995Colleen is murdered in Knoxville, Tenn. (State v. Pike, 978 S.W.2d 904, Tenn. 1998; AP).
- 1996A fellow student, Christa Pike, is convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death. The Tennessee Supreme Court affirmed in 1998 (State v. Pike).
- Sept. 30, 2026Tennessee attempted to carry out the sentence; it was not completed (Tenn. Dept. of Correction statement; AP).
- Oct. 1, 2026Gov. Bill Lee ordered a third-party review and said the one other execution scheduled this year will not be carried out (AP; CBS News).
What her family has said
- Her mother told the Associated Press: "I didn't get justice for my daughter." (AP, Oct. 2, 2026)
- Her niece, who was born after Colleen died and never met her, told FOX 17 Nashville: "Just keep in mind my aunt and the pain that she suffered and the times that she missed out on." The report's headline reads "Think about Colleen." (FOX 17 Nashville, Oct. 1, 2026)
- Her mother told WKRN the attention should be on remembering her daughter's life (WKRN, Oct. 2, 2026).
- We do not name Colleen's niece, stepfather or sister.
What we don't know
- Whether Tennessee will seek a new execution date. The State has not said; the State asks and the Tennessee Supreme Court sets dates.
- Who will run the governor's review, and when it will report. Not announced as of Oct. 2, 2026.
What happens next
Any new date, or any court or governor action, would be posted on the Tennessee Supreme Court's capital-case page and the governor's news page. We update this page when it changes, using the format UPDATE (date): ...
Sources
- FOX 17 Nashville, Oct. 1 Reportingfox17.com/news/local/think-about-colleen-slemmers-family-reacts-to-failed-christa-pike-execution
- FOX 17 Nashville, Oct. 2 Reportingfox17.com/news/local/colleen-slemmers-family-asks-public-to-remember-victim-after-failed-execution-attempt
- WKRN (via Yahoo News) Reportingyahoo.com/news/us/articles/mother-christa-pike-victim-speaks-035453769.html
- WVLT, Sept. 29 Reportingwvlt.tv/2026/09/29/tennessee-plans-execute-woman-murder-uts-campus-heres-what-we-know-about-victim/
- Associated Press (via NPR), Sept. 29 Reportingnpr.org/2026/09/29/g-s1-145408/tennessee-woman-execution
- Associated Press, Oct. 2, Kim Chandler Reportingsentinelcolorado.com/nation-world/nation/how-tennessees-failed-execution-of-christa-pike-unfolded-minute-by-minute/
- First Coast News (via Yahoo News) Reportingyahoo.com/news/us/articles/nobody-apologized-colleen-slemmer-mother-030625095.html
- Nashville Banner, Sept. 14 Reportingnashvillebanner.com/2026/09/14/christa-pike-colleen-slemmer-tennessee-death-row/
- CBS News Reportingcbsnews.com/news/what-to-know-christa-pike-first-woman-executed-tennessee-200-years/
- NBC News, Oct. 1 Reportingnbcnews.com/news/us-news/-was-mess-tennessee-fails-execute-inmate-2-lethal-injections-rcna600863
- State v. Pike, 978 S.W.2d 904 (Tenn. 1998)
The record · as of Oct. 2, 2026
How we know
Primary records are court and agency documents; reporting is news coverage we checked against them. How we report.
What happens next
Verified timeline
- 1995-01-12Murdered in Knoxville on Jan. 12, 1995. Christa Pike convicted of first-degree murder (1996), sentenced to death.State v. Pike (Tenn. 1998); AP; NBC
- 2026-09-30Tennessee attempted the execution and did not complete it; May Martinez was present as a witness. To the AP afterward: 'I didn't get justice for my daughter.'AP (via The Hill, Yahoo News); NBC; First Coast News; FOX 17
- 2026-10-01Colleen's niece asked the public to 'think about Colleen ... and the times that she missed out on.'FOX 17 Nashville (Oct. 1 + Oct. 2); theme also WKRN (Martinez), WBIR/NYT
- 2026-10-01Gov. Lee ordered a third-party review; the one other execution set for 2026 will not be carried out this year. No new date; reviewer not named (as of Oct. 2).AP; ABC; CBS; NBC
- Colleen Slemmer, 19, from Orange Park, Fla.; loved roller skating, volunteered with the Special Olympics, rebuilt computers with her stepfather; moved to the Knoxville Job Corps in fall 1994 to train in computers.WVLT; WKRN; AP; Nashville Banner; First Coast News
Also in our research file
- Mother of Christa Pike's victim speaks on how she wants her daughter to be remembered ReportingWKRN · Oct. 2, 2026
Updates and corrections
Map data: U.S. Census TIGER.
Photos: May Martinez (Slemmer family), via Knoxville News Sentinel / USA TODAY Network and via AP. If you are family and want a photo removed, or to send a correction: corrections@undercurrentdaily.com
The case itself: Christa Pike: What We Know https://youtu.be/iURnX2Z4g0E
Spot an error? Email corrections@undercurrentdaily.com. See our corrections policy. Have information about this case? Contact the investigating agency first.
