Where Is Christa Pike's Boyfriend Tadaryl Shipp Now? What We Know About Him Ahead Of Her Execution
Christa Pike's boyfriend, Tadaryl Shipp had helped her in the cold-blooded killing of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer. Here's what we know about where he is now ahead of Christa's execution.
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Add BollywoodShaadis on GoogleChrista Pike’s name has been grabbing the headlines as she is set to be executed by lethal injection on Wednesday, September 30, 2026. For those unaware, she is the youngest woman in the United States to receive a death sentence at the age of 18 for the cold-blooded killing of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer. Christa’s execution comes nearly 31 years after the murder.
If the execution proceeds, Christa will be the first woman to be executed in Tennessee in more than 200 years. However, amid this, many are wondering where her then-boyfriend and accomplice, Tadaryl Shipp, is today.
Where is Christa Pike's boyfriend and accomplice, Tadaryl Shipp, today, ahead of her execution?
While Christa Pike is set to be executed in Tennessee, her then-boyfriend, Tadaryl Shipp, who had helped her torture and murder Knoxville Job Corps student Colleen Slemmer, remains in prison. Tadaryl was only 17 years old when Slemmer was killed on January 12, 1995. He was later convicted of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder. Since he was still a juvenile at the time of the crime, he did not receive the death penalty, unlike Christa Pike.
Tadaryl has been spending his days in custody after a Knox County jury convicted him in 1997. His young age had helped him win sympathy among the jurors when they were considering his punishment. Tadaryl’s parole hearing was held most recently in 2025 at Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville, in West Tennessee. There, his bid for parole was denied, and his next review is currently scheduled again in six years, in October 2031.
According to reports, Tadaryl's parole was denied this time “due to seriousness of the offense.” As he had initially received life imprisonment with the possibility of parole on the murder conviction and 25 years for conspiracy, there had been litigation concerning whether those sentences should run consecutively. Later, Tennessee appellate courts reviewed the sentencing order.
After the full Tennessee Board of Parole had denied Tadaryl’s request for release, officials recommended that he complete appropriate correctional programs and also maintain positive behavior while he is incarcerated before he returns for another review. This means that he will spend a good few years behind bars before his next parole hearing.
What role did Christa Pike’s boyfriend, Tadaryl Shipp, play in the murder of Colleen Slemmer?
For those unaware, Tadaryl Shipp and Christa Pike had lured the victim, Colleen Slemmer, to the University of Tennessee Agricultural campus on the night of January 12, 1995. They pretended that they were going there to smoke marijuana. The three were also joined by Shadolla Peterson, 18, another resident at the Job Corps Center in Knoxville.
When all four of them reached the campus, Christa turned on Slemmer and began assaulting her. The assault continued for 30 minutes to an hour, even though Slemmer tried repeatedly to run away. Eventually, Slemmer died at the scene, and her body was found the next morning. A few days after the murder, Christa Pike admitted to the police that she was behind the crime. Her boyfriend, Tadaryl, also confessed that he had helped in the attack.
As per the evidence presented in the case, Christa believed that Slemmer was interested in her boyfriend, Tadaryl. Prosecutors claimed that jealousy was one of the leading factors that led to the confrontation. Meanwhile, Shadolla Peterson, who was also present at the time of the murder, later cooperated with authorities and was convicted as an accessory. She was not prosecuted in the same manner as Christa Pike and Tadaryl.
What are your thoughts on Christa Pike murdering Colleen Slemmer because she thought the latter had her eyes on her boyfriend, Tadaryl Shipp?
Photo Credit: X, NBC News
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