Murder Accomplice’s Parole Hearing Set for 2031

Tadaryl Shipp, Christa Pike’s former boyfriend and accomplice in the 1995 torture and murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer in Knoxville, was 17 at the time and therefore could not receive the death penalty. He was sentenced to life in prison for first-degree murder, plus 25 years for conspiracy. Shipp was denied parole at his first hearing in October 2025, with the board citing the seriousness of the crime, and is next scheduled for a hearing in October 2031; a hearing would not guarantee his release. The case has drawn renewed attention amid scrutiny of Pike’s failed execution attempt.