Christa Pike’s Little-Known Second Conviction: The Prison Attack That Added 25 Years to Her Sentence

Most people know Christa Pike for the 1995 murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer.

But years after receiving her death sentence, Pike became involved in another violent crime, this time behind prison walls.

On August 24, 2001, a fire-related evacuation at the Tennessee Prison for Women brought three inmates together in a recreation area: Christa Pike, Patricia Jones and Natasha Cornett.

A confrontation developed between Jones and Cornett.

Then Pike intervened.

According to court records, Pike used a heavy shoelace or bootlace to strangle Jones until she lost consciousness. Correctional officers intervened, and Jones survived.

Pike later argued that she had acted to protect Cornett.

Prosecutors presented a different account, maintaining that Pike’s actions demonstrated an intent to kill. Recorded telephone conversations became important evidence during the proceedings.

The jury ultimately convicted Pike of attempted first-degree premeditated murder.

She received an additional 25-year prison sentence, ordered to run concurrently with her existing death sentence.

The conviction was upheld on appeal.

What makes this chapter particularly significant is its timing.

Pike had already been sentenced to death for Colleen Slemmer’s murder. Yet approximately five years after entering death row, she faced another serious criminal conviction involving violence against a fellow inmate.

Unlike the murder of Colleen Slemmer, Patricia Jones survived.

My take: This second conviction adds an important dimension to understanding Pike’s criminal history. While much of the public discussion focuses on her childhood, mental health and decades on death row, the documented 2001 prison attack is also part of the record. Both crimes deserve to be examined accurately, without overlooking the people who suffered.