Many know the story of Christa Pike, whose recent failed execution has renewed attention to the case. But how much do you know about her two accomplices who helped her pull off one of the most notorious murders of the 20th century?
Thirty-one years after Colleen Slemmer’s murder, the three people held criminally responsible have ended up living almost impossibly different lives. Pike was 18 when Slemmer, a 19-year-old University of Tennessee student, was beaten, tortured and killed in January 1995. Pike was sentenced to death, becoming the first and only woman on Tennessee’s death row before the state attempted to execute her Wednesday (Sept. 30).
Tadaryl Shipp, the Alleged Mastermind
But Pike was not alone that night. Tadaryl Shipp, her then-boyfriend, was only 17 when he joined her in the Woods and helped in the killing, prosecutors said during his trial. Investigators found Satanic materials in Shipp’s dorm, including a Satanic Bible, an altar and items marked with a hexagram.
According to court records, Shipp had dropped out of high school in the 9th grade and became involved with gang members. Eventually, he joined the Job Corps, which is where he met Pike before the two started dating.
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He later told investigators that Slemmer was not originally intended as a ritual sacrifice, saying he only viewed her that way after the killing. Shipp’s account has long diverged from Pike’s. Court records say Shipp maintained that he did not know Pike intended to kill Slemmer and believed they were going to frighten or beat her. He later acknowledged that he was the person who carved the pentagram into Slemmer’s body.
Because Shipp was a juvenile, prosecutors could not seek the death penalty. He was ultimately convicted of first-degree murder and conspiracy and sentenced to life in prison.
Where Is Shipp Now?
For years, Shipp existed largely as a name in court records and accounts of the crime. But this year, he began speaking publicly from prison.
In a May interview with the Unforbidden Truth podcast, he talked not only about the murder and its consequences, but about the life that has unfolded around it: decades behind bars, music, college courses, mentoring other prisoners and his unsuccessful 2025 parole hearing.
He was denied parole in 2025, citing the severity of the crime, according to WCNC. He is eligible again in 2031.
Shadolla Peterson as the Lookout
Shadolla Peterson was 18 and also present during the attack, although prosecutors painted her more as a “lookout” for the crime than an active participant, court documents show. She eventually cooperated with prosecutors, testifying against both defendants.
Peterson pleaded guilty to being an accessory after the fact, served 460 days in jail and received six years of probation. She completed her sentence and disappeared into a private life. Peterson has not publicly discussed the murder, Pike or the failed execution.
Pike Speaks from Death Row
Pike, however, has not been silent about Shipp. In Discovery’s “Mean Girl Murders,” she challenged the familiar description of the pair as Satanists, saying Shipp–not she–was interested in Satanism and demonology.
Pike was supposed to be the first woman in Tennessee history to be put to death. Instead, a botched execution has left her on a ventilator and unconscious, according to her attorneys. That leaves three people whose lives remain permanently connected by one night, but whose voices have traveled in different directions.
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