What We Know
Tadaryl Shipp Parole: Christa Pike's Accomplice Isn't Getting Out in 5 Years
Video · 1:47 · Watch on YouTube
Tadaryl Shipp parole: what we know. No, Christa Pike's accomplice is not set to be released in five years. A headline this week said he "could be released in 5 years." The same article's first paragraph says what that means: five years until his next parole hearing, in October 2031. A hearing is a review, not a release date.
What's confirmed
- Jan. 12, 1995Colleen Slemmer, 19, a Job Corps student, is murdered in Knoxville, Tennessee. (WSMV; WATE)
- Christa Pike is sentenced to death. Tadaryl Shipp, who was 17, could be tried as an adult but was not eligible for a death sentence; he is sentenced to life with the possibility of parole, plus 25 years. (WSMV; WATE)
- A third person, Shadolla Peterson, became an informant; she was convicted as an accessory and received probation. (WSMV; WATE)
- October 2025after Shipp's first parole hearing, at Northwest Correctional Complex, the Tennessee Board of Parole denies parole "due to the seriousness of the offense." Board member Tim Gobble first recommended a 2030 review; the board set it for October 2031 and told Shipp to complete programming recommended by his "Strong R" assessment and keep positive institutional behavior. (WVLT; WATE)
- Oct. 6, 2026the headline "...could be released in 5 years" (WFMD / Fox News). The article's own text: he "has at least another five years before his next parole hearing."
- Christa Pike survived Tennessee's failed attempt to execute her on Sept. 30, 2026; her lawyers say she is awake and talking. (The Associated Press; WSMV, Oct. 7, 2026)
What we don't know
- What the parole board decides in 2031. A hearing can end in another denial.
- What happens to Christa Pike's death sentence.
What happens next
Shipp's next parole review is October 2031. We will add a dated UPDATE line here if anything changes.
Chapters
- 0:00Tadaryl Shipp '5 years' headline
- 0:22Colleen Slemmer murder: the 1995 case
- 0:49Tadaryl Shipp parole hearing
- 1:06Tadaryl Shipp parole: where it stands
Sources
- WVLT, Oct. 8 and Oct. 21, 2025wvlt.tv/2025/10/21/board-denies-parole-man-convicted-1995-job-corps-murder/
- WATE (Matt Hollingsworth), Oct. 2025wate.com/news/knox-county-news/parole-denied-for-man-convicted-in-1995-knoxville-murder/
- WSMV (Li Cohen), Oct. 1, 2026wsmv.com/2026/10/02/christa-pike-wasnt-only-one-who-tortured-killed-colleen-slemmer-heres-what-happened-other-2-who-were-involved/
- WFMD / Fox News, Oct. 6, 2026wfmd.com/2026/10/06/lethal-injection-survivor-christa-pikes-former-satanist-boyfriend-could-be-released-in-5-years/
- WSMV, Oct. 7, 2026wsmv.com/2026/10/07/christa-pikes-attorneys-give-update-after-she-woke-up-failed-execution/
Photo: Slemmer family (May Martinez), via AP
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