KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WOKI / WVLT) – As Tennessee prepares for the scheduled execution of death row inmate Christa Gail Pike, loved ones are remembering the victim at the center of one of the state’s most infamous murder cases: Colleen Slemmer.
While the case has drawn national attention for more than three decades, family members say Slemmer’s life was about much more than the tragic circumstances of her death.
Born on September 20, 1975, in Orange Park, Florida, Slemmer was raised in a close-knit family alongside her mother, May Martinez, stepfather and younger sister. Those closest to her describe a young woman known for her compassion, generosity and willingness to help others.
Martinez said much of Slemmer’s caring nature developed while growing up around her mother’s daycare business.
“Colleen loved doing things. She babysat. She loved to do anything with kids,” Martinez recalled in a previous interview.
Her commitment to helping others extended beyond family life. Slemmer volunteered with the Special Olympics and frequently spent time assisting children with special needs. Teachers and friends remembered her as kind, quiet and dependable, while loved ones described her as independent and driven.
That determination became especially evident in her passion for computers.
Slemmer developed a strong interest in technology and enrolled in the federal Job Corps program to pursue training in the computing field. Hoping to build a future in the technology industry, she left her hometown in Florida and moved to Knoxville in late 1994 to attend the Job Corps center.
Although leaving home was difficult for her family, Slemmer was committed to pursuing her goals and creating opportunities for herself.
On Halloween 1994, she said goodbye to her family and traveled to East Tennessee to begin her training. It would be the final time her loved ones saw her alive.
Just months later, in January 1995, Slemmer was murdered in a case that would become known nationwide as the “Job Corps Murder.”
Investigators determined that Christa Gail Pike, along with TaDaryl Shipp and Shadolla Peterson, participated in the attack that led to Slemmer’s death near the University of Tennessee campus. The details of the crime shocked the nation and resulted in lengthy prison sentences for those involved.
Shipp received a life sentence, while Peterson cooperated with authorities and was convicted as an accessory. Pike was convicted of first-degree murder in 1996 and sentenced to death.
Now, more than 30 years after the killing, Pike remains the only woman on Tennessee’s death row and is scheduled to be executed Wednesday morning in Nashville.
For Slemmer’s family, however, the focus remains on remembering the young woman they lost rather than the crime itself.
Loved ones continue to describe her as a caring daughter, devoted sister, volunteer and aspiring computer professional whose life was cut short while pursuing her dreams.
