US state will execute a woman for the first time in 200 years: Inside her chilling crime

The brutal murder drew massive media attention and became known as the “Job Corps murder,” since both the victim and the killer were enrolled in the program.

Several hours after the body was discovered and the area taped off, Pike showed up again at the crime scene. She spoke with officers, asking if authorities had identified the victim and where Slemmer’s body had been found. According to one officer, Pike seemed almost thrilled by the situation.

She was giggling and moving around,” an officer testified during the trial.

Pike was arrested the very next day.

In March 1996, she was sentenced to death. The seven-man, five-woman jury found her guilty of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. According to news reports at the time, she broke down in uncontrollable sobs when the sentence was handed down in court.

“Can I please hug my mom before I go. Please let me just hug my mom,” Pike said, as her mother, Carissa Hansen, sat crying behind her in the courtroom.

Her mother’s tragic confession

Hansen had testified earlier in the trial, admitting she had been a poor mother who allowed Pike to have a live-in boyfriend at just 14 years old. In an effort to bond with her daughter, she confessed she had even shared drugs with her and smoked marijuana together.

“I should be the one in her seat,” Hansen said. “I should be punished for her crimes.”

Christa Gail Pike’s case is one of only 48 involving women currently on death row nationwide — compared to nearly 2,100 men.

Since 1976, just 18 women have been executed in the U.S., making Pike’s case extraordinarily rare.

Pike’s words from behind bars

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