FOR 31 YEARS, A MOTHER HAS FOUGHT TO KEEP HER DAUGHTER’S NAME FROM BEING FORGOTTEN

For more than three decades, May Martinez has refused to let the world forget her daughter, Colleen Slemmer.

Colleen was just 19 years old when her life was taken in Knoxville, Tennessee, in January 1995.

Now, as the case of Christa Pike once again dominates headlines following Pike’s failed execution, Colleen’s family is reminding people that behind the death-row case was a young woman with dreams, passions and a family who loved her.

Her name was Colleen Slemmer.

And to her mother, she was always much more than the victim in a notorious criminal case.

A YOUNG WOMAN WHO LOVED COMPUTERS

Colleen was born on September 20, 1975, in Orange Park, Florida.

She grew up close to her mother, May Martinez, her stepfather and her younger sister.

Those who knew her remembered a young woman who loved helping other people.

She worked with children with disabilities, helped feed and care for children at school and volunteered at Special Olympics events.

She also loved computers.

Her mother recalled how fascinated Colleen was by technology. She enjoyed building computers and taking them apart with her stepfather.

One of her favorite T-shirts even carried the words “computer geek.”

After Colleen’s death, her family had the shirt turned into a teddy bear so they could keep something that belonged to her close.

It became a small but deeply personal reminder of the daughter they lost.

COLLEEN WANTED A FUTURE

After finishing high school, Colleen moved from Florida to Tennessee to attend the Job Corps program in Knoxville.

She hoped to prepare herself for a future working with computers.

She was only 19.

She had decades ahead of her — or so her family believed.

But on January 12, 1995, Colleen was lured to a secluded area near the University of Tennessee’s agricultural campus.

Christa Pike, who was 18 at the time, and her boyfriend, Tadaryl Shipp, were convicted in connection with Colleen’s killing. A third participant, Shadolla Peterson, cooperated with authorities and later received probation.

Pike was convicted of murder and sentenced to death.

Shipp, who was 17 at the time, received a life sentence.

The case became one of Tennessee’s most notorious murder cases.

But for May Martinez, the most important part of the story was never the notoriety.

It was the daughter she lost.

31 YEARS OF REMEMBERING

On September 20, 2026, Colleen would have turned 51 years old.

Instead, her mother was left to imagine the woman her daughter might have become.

There were birthdays that never happened.

Holidays without Colleen.

Family milestones she never experienced.

And an entire lifetime that her loved ones never got to share with her.

Yet May continued to speak about Colleen.

She continued to tell people about the girl who loved computers, cared about children and volunteered to help others.

Because she wanted people to know that Colleen was not simply a name attached to a murder case.

She was a daughter.

A sister.

A volunteer.

A young woman with dreams.

MAY WATCHED THE ATTEMPTED EXECUTION

When Tennessee scheduled Pike’s execution for September 30, 2026, May and her husband, Raul Martinez Jr., traveled to Nashville to witness it.

May had previously said she wanted the execution to go forward.

She had spent decades living with the loss of her daughter and believed the sentence represented justice for Colleen.

But what happened inside Riverbend Maximum Security Institution was something nobody in the viewing room expected.

Pike received two doses of pentobarbital.

She survived.

Witnesses reported that Pike remained alive after the injections, with continued breathing and movement. She was eventually taken from the prison by ambulance and transported to a hospital.

The following day, her lawyers said she remained alive and in critical condition, receiving lifesaving care.

The failed execution prompted Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee to halt the state’s remaining scheduled executions for 2026 and order an independent review of what happened.

“I DIDN’T GET JUSTICE FOR MY DAUGHTER”