Nancy Grace reports : TENNESSEE SETS EXECUTION DATES FOR MULTIPLE DEATH ROW INMATES — INCLUDING THE ONLY WOMAN ON DEATH ROW

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Tennessee has officially scheduled execution dates for several of its long-serving death row inmates, setting the stage for one of the most dramatic years in the state’s capital punishment history. Among them is Christa Gail Pike, the only woman currently on Tennessee’s death row, whose gruesome crime has haunted Knoxville for nearly three decades.

Pike, now 49, was convicted in 1996 of the brutal murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer, a fellow participant in a job training program. Prosecutors said Pike, her boyfriend, and another accomplice lured Slemmer to Knoxville’s Tyson Park in January 1995 under the pretense of resolving a personal dispute. What followed was a killing so shocking that it continues to draw attention decades later.

According to investigators, Pike carved a pentagram into Slemmer’s chest and forehead before bludgeoning her with a chunk of asphalt. The attack was methodical and ritualistic, ending only when Slemmer lay dead on the ground. Pike was just 18 years old at the time, making her the youngest woman ever sentenced to death in the United States since the reinstatement of capital punishment in 1976.

For Colleen’s mother, May Martinez, the announcement of Pike’s execution date brings a mixture of relief and lingering pain. “I’ve been waiting for justice for 30 years,” Martinez told reporters. “Once it’s completely done, maybe I’ll feel closure. But until then, it’s always the same—waiting, paperwork, delays. It never feels finished.”

Pike is now scheduled to be executed on September 30, 2026, marking what could be the final chapter in one of Tennessee’s most notorious murder cases.

But Pike isn’t the only inmate Tennessee plans to execute next year. The state also announced the execution date of Gary Wayne Sutton, who, like Pike, has been on death row since 1996. Sutton was convicted of the murders of Sevier County siblings Connie Branham and Tommy Griffin. His uncle, James Dellinger, was also convicted in the case and sentenced to death, but he died in prison before facing execution.

Sutton’s case, however, remains controversial. Advocacy groups insist that Sutton may be innocent and have been fighting to reopen his case, citing what they say is a flawed investigation and insufficient evidence. Despite those efforts, the state has scheduled his execution for December 3, 2026.

The dual announcements come at a time when Tennessee has faced increasing scrutiny over its death penalty practices, including botched executions and questions of fairness in sentencing. Yet for families of victims, the news represents long-awaited justice.

“Justice delayed is justice denied,” said one victims’ advocate. “For decades, these families have waited. Now the state is finally acting.”

With multiple executions now on the calendar, Tennessee is preparing for what could be its most significant use of the death penalty in years. But the looming question remains: will these executions finally bring peace to the families left behind—or will they reignite the fierce debate over whether capital punishment has a place in modern America?

For May Martinez, the answer is painfully clear. “My daughter’s life was stolen in the most horrific way. The only way I will ever feel justice,” she said, “is to see Christa Pike take her last breath.”