#112 Christa Pike - “It's Harder To Hurt Somebody When They're Talking To You"

📚 SHOW NOTES 🎙 Episode 112: Christa Pike — “It’s Harder to Hurt Somebody When They’re Talking to You” A Murderess Podcast investigation Nineteen-year-old Colleen Slemmer left Job Corps with Christa Pike and two other students. She never came back. Christa told police it was “harder to hurt somebody when they’re talking to you.” 📍 Location: Knoxville Job Corps Center → University of Tennessee agricultural campus → Knox County Criminal Court → Tennessee prison system 📅 Key Dates: January 11, 1995 Christa tells Kim Iloilo she intends to kill Colleen → January 12, 1995 Colleen is murdered → January 13 her body is discovered → January 14 Christa confesses → March 1996 Christa is convicted and sentenced to death → 2001 prison attack on Patricia Jones → 2002 execution date is set, then halted as appeals resume → 2012 escape plot uncovered → September 30, 2025 Tennessee Supreme Court sets a new execution date → September 30, 2026 scheduled execution 👥 Central Figures: Christa Pike, Colleen Slemmer, Tadaryl Shipp, Shadolla Peterson, Kim Iloilo, Stephanie Wilson, Dr. Sandra Elkins, Dr. Murray Marks, Dr. Eric Engum, Dr. William Bernet, and Governor Bill Lee 🧠 Themes: jealousy, premeditation, torture, victim resistance, dehumanization, confession, forensic evidence, mental illness, childhood trauma, prison violence, capital punishment, clemency, and how later evidence can change the picture surrounding an established crime 🎧 Murderess Podcast is written and hosted by Sidney Smith 🎙 Produced in partnership with Sidney Smith Cre8tiv, LLC and the You Hear Good Things podcast network 📅 New episodes every Thursday 🔗 Past episodes, merch, and tour dates: https://www.sidneysmithcre8tiv.com 🎧 Spotify | Apple Podcasts | iHeartRadio 📱 Instagram | TikTok | YouTube | Facebook | Twitter → @sidneysmithcre8tiv Official Sources Used: – Tennessee Supreme Court, State v. Christa Gail Pike (1998): primary account of the murder, Christa’s confession, Colleen’s escape attempts, forensic evidence, psychological testimony, conviction, aggravating circumstances, and death sentence. – Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals, Christa Gail Pike v. State (2011): later post-conviction litigation and expert testimony concerning bipolar disorder, childhood trauma, neurological evidence, and alleged brain impairment. – Tennessee Supreme Court, Christa Gail Pike v. State (2005): Christa’s effort to abandon her appeals, the 2002 execution date, her subsequent change of mind, and reinstatement of post-conviction proceedings. – Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals, Christa Gail Pike v. State (2013): Christa’s attempted first-degree murder conviction for the prison attack on Patricia Jones. – Tennessee Bureau of Investigation / Department of Correction, March 2012: official account of the disrupted prison escape plot involving Christa, former correctional officer Justin Heflin, and Donald Kohut. – Knoxville News Sentinel trial archives, March 1996: contemporaneous coverage of Christa’s conviction, sentencing, courtroom proceedings, and death sentence. – Tennessee Supreme Court, September 30, 2025 execution order: official order scheduling Christa’s execution for September 30, 2026 unless another court or appropriate authority intervenes. – Tennessee Department of Correction, 2026 execution advisories: official information concerning the scheduled execution at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution. – Christa Pike clemency petition, filed September 2026: childhood sexual abuse, trauma history, later diagnoses, neurological evidence, age at the offense, co-defendant sentencing differences, and request for commutation to life without parole. – Death Penalty Information Center, 2026 Christa Pike coverage: reporting on the clemency petition, trauma-expert filings, lethal-injection litigation, sentencing history, and the historical significance of Tennessee’s scheduled execution of a woman for the first time in more than 200 years. Tell me what stayed with you—I read every message. Your thoughts might even shape what the Quiet Jury hears next. Support the show