Christa and her attorneys grapple with a recent announcement by the Tennessee Supreme Court.

Christa and her attorneys grapple with a recent announcement by the Tennessee Supreme Court.

Episode 8 – Mercy

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/29b52986-8d17-4a2a-a24f-b37f00ff628e/transcript

Beth and Sarah talk to Colleen’s mother about whether justice is even possible in this case.

Beth and Sarah talk to Colleen&rsquo;s mother about whether justice is even possible in this case.

Episode 7 – Justice

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/d9b5e902-6d07-4d0a-ad7b-b37601471608/transcript

Defending “the worst of the worst” can take a sizable emotional toll–but it also reinforces a sense of shared humanity.

 

Defending &ldquo;the worst of the worst&rdquo; can take a sizable emotional toll&ndash;but it also reinforces a sense of shared humanity.
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Episode 6 – The Lawyers

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/187d547f-3bb2-4055-a715-b36b0153f233/transcript

As the decades-long effort to overturn her death sentence runs out of time, Christa and her legal team try to prove that she’s a changed person.

As the decades-long effort to overturn her death sentence runs out of time, Christa and her legal team try to prove that she&rsquo;s a changed person.

Episode 5 - Christa Fights to Stay Alive

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/cfb6df62-3c0b-444b-9da9-b35d00fe4741/transcript

Christa looks back on her early years on death row when she struggled with undiagnosed mental health issues and the role it played in the fight to save her life.

Christa looks back on her early years on death row when she struggled with undiagnosed mental health issues and the role it played in the fight to save her life.

Episode 4 - In Solitary

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/462214c5-441c-4279-a6c8-b35d00fe3f4d/transcript

We learn what the jury and public didn’t know about Christa, her attorneys, and their trial strategy.

We learn what the jury and public didn&rsquo;t know about Christa, her attorneys, and their trial strategy.

Episode 3 - The Trial

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/29e3115f-2be4-4c4a-b636-b34e01010d6f/transcript

As details of the murder leak, the Knoxville community is shocked by what 18-year-old Christa allegedly did to Colleen.

As details of the murder leak, the Knoxville community is shocked by what 18-year-old Christa allegedly did to Colleen.

Episode 2 - Knoxville Reels 

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/bafb7d1e-9607-40cc-ac1b-b34e01006660/transcript

Months after two teens enroll at Knoxville’s JobCorps program, one is dead and the other is charged with murdering her.

Months after two teens enroll at Knoxville&rsquo;s JobCorps program, one is dead and the other is charged with murdering her.

Episode 1 - Christa and Colleen

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/6f52058f-9691-4915-ae60-b34e00fd1da6/transcript

In January 1995, 18-year-old Christa Pike killed 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer in the woods of Knoxville, Tennessee–and 30 years later, she’s still on death row. Proof of Life explores the meaning of justice and rehabilitation, and asks how we determine whether someone deserves to live or die.

In January 1995, 18-year-old Christa Pike killed 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer in the woods of Knoxville, Tennessee&ndash;and 30 years later, she&rsquo;s still on death row. Proof of Life explores the meaning of justice and rehabilitation, and asks how we determine whether someone deserves to live or die.

Introducing... Unrestorable Season 2: Proof of Life

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/f8f5659d-f89f-4846-a3a5-b34800e5aaa1/transcript

Troy ponders his next moves as he searches for broader accountability for the loss of his two children.

Troy ponders his next moves as he searches for broader accountability for the loss of his two children.

Episode 8 – Justice

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/f5f7da76-f933-46c5-b03d-b0b4012c0c7c/transcript

On a January night in 1995, 18-year-old Christa Pike and two other teenagers lured 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer to a secluded area near the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. They taunted, beat, and slashed Colleen, carving a pentagram into her chest, before Christa picked up a piece of concrete and smashed Colleen’s skull, killing her. Those salacious details stood out during a national Satanic Panic over ritual abuse and suburban cults. The Knoxville News Sentinel later accused Christa of killing “for love and Satan.” She was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death by electrocution—one of the youngest women ever to be sentenced to death in the United States.

 

Thirty years later, Christa is still alive, incarcerated at a Nashville prison and the only woman on death row in Tennessee. She has spent much of her adult life in solitary confinement. In the decades since the murder, evolving understanding about brain science and trauma have cast Christa’s wildly violent act—and death sentence—in a new light. We now know that the brain of an 18-year-old remains underdeveloped and impulsive. Christa has a horrific history of abuse, violence, and family neglect; the first time she attempted suicide, she was 9 years old. That kind of trauma can arrest healthy development, leading some young adults down a disastrous path. 

 

As Christa approaches her final appeals, a team of state and federal defenders are urgently trying to save Christa’s life. Her date of execution could be set any time. If executed, she will be the first woman killed by Tennessee in almost 200 years. Should a woman who committed a violent crime as a damaged teenager be granted a chance at rehabilitation? And is justice best served through retribution or mercy?

On a January night in 1995, 18-year-old Christa Pike and two other teenagers lured 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer to a secluded area near the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. They taunted, beat, and slashed Colleen, carving a pentagram into her chest, before Christa picked up a piece of concrete and smashed Colleen&rsquo;s skull, killing her. Those salacious details stood out during a national Satanic Panic over ritual abuse and suburban cults. The Knoxville News Sentinel later accused Christa of killing &ldquo;for love and Satan.&rdquo; She was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death by electrocution&mdash;one of the youngest women ever to be sentenced to death in the United States.
&nbsp;
Thirty years later, Christa is still alive, incarcerated at a Nashville prison and the only woman on death row in Tennessee. She has spent much of her adult life in solitary confinement. In the decades since the murder, evolving understanding about brain science and trauma have cast Christa&rsquo;s wildly violent act&mdash;and death sentence&mdash;in a new light. We now know that the brain of an 18-year-old remains underdeveloped and impulsive. Christa has a horrific history of abuse, violence, and family neglect; the first time she attempted suicide, she was 9 years old. That kind of trauma can arrest healthy development, leading some young adults down a disastrous path.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
As Christa approaches her final appeals, a team of state and federal defenders are urgently trying to save Christa&rsquo;s life. Her date of execution could be set any time. If executed, she will be the first woman killed by Tennessee in almost 200 years. Should a woman who committed a violent crime as a damaged teenager be granted a chance at rehabilitation? And is justice best served through retribution or mercy?

Unrestorable

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