Woman Facing Tennessee’s First Female Execution in 200 Years Refuses Last Meal

Christa Pike, the sole female inmate on death row in Tennessee, has refused her last meal.

According to the Tennessee Department of Correction, via WJHL, Pike, 50, did not request a last meal before her scheduled execution on Wednesday, September 30. She’s set to be put to death at 10 a.m. local time, barring intervention from the U.S. Supreme Court.

Pike is set to become the first woman put to death in Tennessee since 1819, after Governor Bill Lee confirmed to NBC affiliate WBIR on September 28 that he does “not plan to intervene” and grant her a stay of execution.

Pike was 18 when she was charged in connection with the 1995 killing of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer in Knoxville, according to Washington Post. She was convicted the following year and sentenced to death.

NBC News reported that her attorneys have argued that her age, history of severe childhood trauma and mental health conditions were not adequately considered during her trial.

If her execution is carried out at the Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville, Pike would become the first woman executed in Tennessee in more than 200 years.

While Pike did not request a last meal, she did previously make a number of other special requests regarding how she’s executed, per WKRN.

The convicted killer’s legal team argued in August 2026 that her death by lethal injection could be “prolonged and agonizing” due to her thrombocytosis diagnosis, which they said could affect how she reacts to the fatal dose of pentobarbital.

Her lawyers also asked that only female officers assist with her transport and observation — citing her history of PTSD and sexual assault by men at a young age. Additionally, they said her small veins could cause needless suffering, asking for alternative methods of execution, like hanging.

The requests, however, were denied.