Mother of teen murdered by Christa Pike makes 11th hour trip to Tennessee for today's execution... after killer moaned she shouldn't be put to death because she's a BUDDHIST: Live updates

Updated: 09:16 EDT, 30 September 2026 Tennessee death row inmate Christa Pike is set to be executed today in what will be the state's first execution of a woman in 200 years.Pike, now 50, received the death sentence when she was 18 for torturing and murdering fellow Knoxville Job Corps student Colleen Slemmer, 19, in 1995.Slemmer's mother, May Martinez, previously told the Daily Mail she wants a front-row seat to the execution.Thanks to a GoFundMe, Martinez was able to afford to travel to the Volunteer State and watch Pike be put to death by lethal injection at 10am CT/11am ET at the Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville.'They truly cannot believe how many people have stepped up, donated, shared, prayed, and simply shown that they care. They are beyond grateful for every single one of you,' the fundraiser wrote on Sunday.'You helped make sure they could be there for Colleen. And that means more than words can say.'Pike filed a lawsuit challenging the method of execution, claiming it violated her rights and religious beliefs because she is Buddhist, but the legal challenge failed, and Tennessee Governor Bill Lee rejected her request for clemency.Follow the Daily Mail for the latest updates... Colleen Slemmer's mother travels to Tennessee to witness the execution of her daughter's murdererMay Martinez previously told the Daily Mail she plans to sit in the front row of a Tennessee execution chamber, clutching a picture of her late daughter as she watches her killer, Christa Pike, take her final breaths on Wednesday.However, she almost missed the chance due to travel expenses.Thanks to a GoFundMe, Martinez was able to afford to travel to the Volunteer State and watch Pike be put to death by lethal injection at 10am CT/11am ET at the Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville.'They truly cannot believe how many people have stepped up, donated, shared, prayed, and simply shown that they care. They are beyond grateful for every single one of you,' the fundraiser wrote on Sunday.'You helped make sure they could be there for Colleen. And that means more than words can say.'Tennessee Governor rejects Christa Pike's clemency requestTennessee Governor Bill Lee announced on Monday that he has declined to intervene in the execution of Christa Pike.'After deliberate consideration of Christa Gail Pike’s request for clemency, and after a thorough review of the case, I am upholding the sentence of the State of Tennessee and do not plan to intervene,' he said in a statement to WTVF.Pike had asked Lee to commute her death sentence to life in prison without parole, citing her childhood trauma and mental health issues.Her lawyers said in the aftermath they were 'deeply saddened and heartbroken' by the governor's decision.I'll be in the front row to watch my daughter's killer die... demanding an answer to a question that's haunted me for 30 years After more than 30 years of waiting, the date is finally here: September 30, 2026.That's when Christa Gail Pike - who, at age 20, became the youngest woman ever sentenced to death in the United States - is scheduled to be executed for the horrifying, ritualistic murder of her classmate, 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer.For Slemmer's mother, May Martinez, the wait has been agonizing. After decades of appeals and delays, she told the Daily Mail she was certain she'd die before seeing her daughter's killer face justice.Christina Pike requested death by firing squad ahead of her execution todayPike, 50, is 'terrified' of dying a 'painful' death by lethal injection and has instead asked to be shot by an all-woman firing squad in front of witnesses, including members of Slemmer's family, the New York Post reported last week. Her lawyers claim death by lethal injection will be 'prolonged and agonizing' because she has a rare blood disorder that could make it difficult to find a vein and affect how she reacts to the drug.In August, Pike asked the court to consider allowing her to be hanged, WATE reported.Her legal team also requested that her execution be handled by an all-female team because she has trauma from men. '[Lethal injection administered by men] will increase the likelihood that an 8th Amendment violation will occur,' Pike's lawyer Stephen Ferrell said.'There is an increased risk of pain and suffering.'What did Christina Pike do?In 1995, an 18-year-old Pike had become convinced that Colleen Slemmer, 19, was trying to steal her boyfriend Tadaryl Shipp, a fellow Job Corps student with whom Pike shared an interest in satanic imagery. Friends of Slemmer denied any romantic rivalry.Pike and another student, Shadolla Peterson, hatched a plan to lure Colleen away from the school, telling her they wanted to make peace and offering to share marijuana with her in a secluded area near the University of Tennessee campus.Slemmer went with Pike, Shipp and Peterson that evening. Once they reached the woods, she was attacked.For at least half an hour, prosecutors said, Slemmer was beaten, kicked and slashed as she begged them to stop and repeatedly tried to escape.At some point during the assault, Shipp carved a pentagram into her chest while she was still alive.Slemmer ultimately died from devastating blows to the head, administered by Pike with a chunk of asphalt.Pictured: Colleen SlemmerFemale death row inmate Christina Pike reveals 'kinship' with Lindsay ClancyChrista Pike was just 18 when she lured Colleen Slemmer, a fellow Job Corps student, to an isolated area of the University of Tennessee's campus and subjected her to a torturous attack that ended in a fatal bludgeoning on January 12, 1995. Convicted the following year, Pike became the youngest woman sentenced to death in the US. She is also set to become the first woman executed in Tennessee in more than 200 years.As she faces death, Pike said she feels a 'kinship' with Clancy, whose mental health took center stage when a Massachusetts judge declared a mistrial earlier this month.The mother had faced a lifetime behind bars for killing her children Cora, five, Dawson, three, and eight-month-old Callan. Clancy did not deny she strangled the children, but argued she should be found not guilty by reason of insanity. Tennessee to execute a woman for the first time in 200 years: Murderer tortured and killed teenage 'love-rival' Christa Pike was 18 when she killed a classmate in a jealous rage and became one of the youngest women to be sent to death row. Now 50, she is scheduled to be put to death Wednesday in what would be Tennessee's first execution of a woman in 200 years.Pike and her boyfriend were convicted in the 1995 killing of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer, their classmate at Knoxville Job Corps.