Christa Pike Case: Why Shadolla Peterson Got Probation, What We Know

Video · 2:54 · Watch on YouTube

Why did Shadolla Peterson get probation in the 1995 Colleen Slemmer case? Peterson, a Job Corps student in Knoxville, Tennessee, was charged with first-degree murder along with Christa Pike and Tadaryl Shipp. She agreed to cooperate, pleaded guilty to being an accessory after the fact, and was sentenced to probation. Pike and Shipp were convicted of first-degree murder. Here is what the record and news reports confirm, and what is not public.

What's confirmed

1. Jan. 12, 1995Pike, Peterson and Shipp returned to the Knoxville Job Corps center that night; Colleen Slemmer, 19, did not. (U.S. District Court, E.D. Tenn., Pike v. Freeman, No. 1:12-cv-35, Doc. 93, quoting State v. Pike, 978 S.W.2d 904)
2. Colleen Slemmer was found the next morning on the University of Tennessee's agriculture campus. (Associated Press)
3. Peterson was charged along with Pike and Shipp with first-degree murder and conspiracy. (Knoxville News Sentinel, 2008; USA TODAY Network)
4. News accounts of the court record say her role was to stand watch. (WSMV, Oct. 2, 2026)
5. Peterson agreed to cooperate with prosecutors, pleaded guilty to being an accessory after the fact, and was sentenced to probation. (The Tennessean, May 21, 2025; Knoxville News Sentinel, 2008; WSMV)
6. Pike was convicted in March 1996 and sentenced to death. Shipp was tried as an adult and convicted in 1997. (AP; Tennessean)
7. Tennessee's attempt to carry out Pike's sentence on Oct. 1, 2026 did not end in her death. The governor has ordered an outside review, and no new date has been announced. (AP; WSMV)

What we don't know

• Where Peterson is now. It is not public, and we have not looked.
• What she said as a witness. We have not seen the transcript.
• The exact terms of her sentence. One outlet reports a six-year probationary sentence; we have not confirmed it against the sentencing judgment.
• When or whether Tennessee will seek a new date for Pike.

What happens next

Peterson's sentence is complete; there is nothing pending for her. If a court or the state announces a new date in the Pike case, we'll update this write-up.

Colleen Slemmer was 19. Her mother, May Martinez, told the Associated Press: "I didn't get justice for my daughter."

Chapters

1. 0:00Shadolla Peterson: why probation?
2. 0:12Shadolla Peterson: the night of Jan. 12
3. 0:53Shadolla Peterson charged: her role
4. 1:10Shadolla Peterson's plea and probation
5. 1:35Pike and Shipp: the convictions
6. 2:02Shadolla Peterson: what's not public

Sources

1. U.S. District Court, E.D. Tenn., Pike v. Freeman, No. 1:12-cv-35, Doc. 93 (Mar. 11, 2016) Primary recordgovinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCOURTS-tned-1_12-cv-00035/pdf/USCOURTS-tned-1_12-cv-00035-1.pdf
2. State v. Pike, 978 S.W.2d 904 (Tenn. 1998)
3. The Tennessean / USA TODAY Network (May 21, 2025) Reportingyahoo.com/news/only-one-woman-death-row-232215325.html
4. WSMV (Oct. 2, 2026) Reportingwsmv.com/2026/10/02/christa-pike-wasnt-only-one-who-tortured-killed-colleen-slemmer-heres-what-happened-other-2-who-were-involved/
5. Knoxville News Sentinel (Apr. 7, 2008), via USA TODAY Network
6. Associated Press (Oct. 2026)

Spot an error? Email corrections@undercurrentdaily.com. See our corrections policy. Have information about this case? Contact the investigating agency first.

Part of What We Know: open cases, confirmed facts only · YouTube playlist