WHAT HAPPENED TO TADARYL SHIPP? CHRISTA PIKE’S FORMER BOYFRIEND REMAINS IN PRISON

As attention once again turns to Christa Pike following her failed execution in Tennessee, renewed questions are being asked about the man who was with her when 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer was killed in 1995.

That man is Tadaryl Shipp, Pike’s former boyfriend and one of the people convicted in Slemmer’s death.

More than 30 years later, Shipp remains behind bars.

Unlike Pike, he was never sentenced to death. He was 17 years old when Slemmer was killed, making him ineligible for the death penalty under Tennessee law at the time. He was instead sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole.

THE 1995 KILLING

Pike, Shipp and Shadolla Peterson were students at the Knoxville Job Corps when they lured Slemmer, another student, into a wooded area on January 12, 1995.

Slemmer was 19.

Prosecutors said Pike viewed Slemmer as a romantic rival because of her relationship with Shipp.

The attack lasted more than 30 minutes, according to the case record. Shipp later acknowledged carving a pentagram into Slemmer’s body.

Pike and Shipp were eventually convicted in separate trials.

Pike, who was 18 at the time, received a death sentence.

Shipp was convicted of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and received a life sentence with the possibility of parole.

Peterson testified against Pike and Shipp as part of a plea agreement and ultimately received probation.

WHY SHIPP DID NOT RECEIVE THE DEATH PENALTY

The difference between Pike and Shipp came down in large part to their ages.

Pike was 18.

Shipp was 17.

Because Shipp was under 18 when the crime occurred, he could not legally receive a death sentence.

That distinction has drawn renewed attention following Pike’s attempted execution on September 30, 2026.

Tennessee attempted to execute Pike by lethal injection, but she survived two doses of pentobarbital and was transported to a hospital for emergency medical treatment. Her lawyers later said she remained critically ill.

SHIPP BECAME ELIGIBLE FOR PAROLE

After spending decades in prison, Shipp became eligible for parole in October 2025.

He appeared before the Tennessee Board of Parole, seeking release after more than 30 years behind bars.

The board ultimately denied his request.

A board member cited the seriousness of Slemmer’s killing in recommending that parole be denied. The board later set Shipp’s next parole review for October 2031 and recommended that he complete programs identified through his assessment and maintain positive institutional behavior.

So despite becoming parole-eligible, Shipp did not leave prison.

He remains incarcerated at the Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville, Tennessee, according to recent reporting and inmate records.

THREE DECADES LATER, TWO VERY DIFFERENT SENTENCES

The paths of Pike and Shipp have diverged dramatically.

Pike spent nearly three decades on Tennessee’s death row.

Shipp spent those same decades serving a life sentence while retaining the possibility of parole.

Pike’s lawyers argued before her attempted execution that her age, childhood trauma and mental-health history should be considered when determining whether her death sentence should still be carried out.

The Tennessee courts ultimately allowed the execution to proceed.

But the execution did not end with Pike’s death.

After two injections failed to result in her death, Tennessee halted the procedure and transported her to a hospital. Gov. Bill Lee subsequently ordered a third-party review and paused the state’s remaining scheduled executions for 2026.

WHERE IS TADARYL SHIPP NOW?

Today, Shipp remains imprisoned.

His latest parole request has been denied, and his next scheduled review is not until October 2031.

That means the man who was 17 when Colleen Slemmer was killed remains in prison more than three decades later, while Pike — who was only one year older at the time of the crime — became the subject of one of Tennessee’s most closely watched death-penalty cases.

The different sentences have kept the 1995 case in the public eye, particularly as questions about youth, punishment and the passage of time have resurfaced around Pike’s attempted execution.

For Colleen Slemmer’s family, however, the case has always centered on the loss of a 19-year-old woman whose life ended in January 1995.

And for Shipp, the legal consequences of that crime continue.

His next opportunity for parole is now scheduled for October 2031.