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TaDaryl Shipp’s Background

According to Casemine, TaDaryl Shipp started dabbling with satanic worship when he was about 10. By the time he was 17, he was enrolled at a Job Corps in Knoxville, Tennessee, and his dorm room was filled with satanic paraphernalia

At the Job Corps, Shipp met fellow student Christa Pike. The two became close, and the relationship became romantic.

Christa Pike’s Relationship With Colleen Slemmer

According to Findlaw, Pike wasn’t the most well-behaved student, and at some point, she began having issues with Colleen Slemmer. As her hatred for Slemmer boiled over, Pike told her friend Kim Iloilo on January 11, 1995, that she was going to kill Slemmer.

The next day at around 8 p.m., Iloilo saw Pike, Slemmer, Shipp, and another student, Shadolla Peterson, were walking away from the Job Corps. Just over two hours later, Pike, Shipp, and Peterson returned without Slemmer.

On January 13th, at around 8:05 am, Slemmer was found dead near the University of Tennessee. Pike and Shipp were taken in for questioning the next day and placed in separate interview rooms. Pike confessed to the crime, saying that Slemmer was “trying to get [her] boyfriend” and was “running her mouth.”

Shipp also confessed that he was involved in Slemmer’s murder. According to Casemine, he tried to reduce his involvement by saying that he became uncomfortable when Pike started hitting Slemmer with rocks. He said he walked away, and when he came back, Slemmer’s head was cracked open. He said he and Pike carved a pentagram in her chest, then moved the body to a more secluded area.

He indicated that Pike had become “pretty deep” into satanic worship. Pike and Shipp were both wearing pentagrams when they were arrested.

Dispute over motive

Over the years, the motive for the murder has been in question, with many believing Pike wanted Slemmer dead because Slemmer was interested in Shipp. Others believe it was a satanic ritual.

Pike has denied claims that she was interested in satanism or that the crime was a satanic ritual. According to Casemine, Shipp claimed to have only seen Slemmer as a sacrifice after the murder.

Legal Proceedings

Peterson got the deal of a lifetime. After pleading guilty to accessory after the fact, she was sentenced to probation. She also had to testify against Pike and Shipp.

Pike and Shipp weren’t as lucky as Peterson. At separate trials, they were both convicted of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder. Pike was sentenced to death because she was 18 at the time of the murder. Shipp, who was 17 at the time of the murder, was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.

Parole

According to WCNC,  Shipp became eligible for parole in October 2025, after nearly 21 years. His hearing took place at Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville, Tennessee, where he is serving his life sentence. He was denied release “due to the seriousness of the offense.”

His next parole hearing will be in October 2031, when he will be 54 years old. Due to the publicity surrounding the case, many doubt he will ever be released.

Pike’s Execution

50-year-old Pike was marched to the death chamber on September 30th, 2026, and was strapped to a gurney. After saying her “last” words, she was injected with two doses of pentobarbital. The drugs went into her body rather than going into her bloodstream, and she did not die.

She was unconscious in the hospital for about six days before waking up. She has since been returned to prison. It’s unclear if Tennessee will try to execute her again in the future.