Who are Colleen Slemmer's mother, father, where are they now? Christa Pike execution puts killer's childhood in focus

Colleen Slemmer's killer Christa Pike is set to be executed in Tennessee and her parents have traveled to see their daughter's killer being put to death. 

Published on: Sep 30, 2026, 09:49:16 IST

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Colleen Slemmer was brutally tortured and killed by Christa Pike in 1995. At the time, Pike was 18. She was sent to death row and now, at 50, Pike is set to be executed.

This marks the first execution of a woman in Tennessee in 200 years. The case has put focus on Colleen Slemmer's parents and where they are now. Here's all you need to know.

Colleen Slemmer parents: Who are they, where are they now?

Slemmer's biological father is Michael Deacy. He was present during the 1996 trial of Christa Pike, but has largely remained out of the public eye since then.

While records indicate he used to live in Florida, which is where Slemmer is from, his current whereabouts are not known. On the contrary, Slemmer's mother, May, has maintained a high profile and advocated for justice for her daughter throughout.

She remarried and is now with Raul Martinez. May and Raul Martinez traveled to Tennessee to witness Pike's execution. May had reportedly reached out to Ask Anthony, seeking help with travel costs so they could be there for Pike's execution. Over $2500 was raised with the help of the Justice Coalition of Jacksonville to assist the Martinez duo in their travel.

Pike is set to be executed on September 30 at the Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville.

Slemmer's mother makes big statement ahead of execution

Speaking ahead of Pike's execution, Slemmer's mother said “Maybe now finally we have the justice.” May Martinez added “It may not bring my daughter back but it might save another person from getting killed because she will do it again,” speaking to WKRN.

Christa Pike's childhood in focus ahead of execution

Pike and her then-boyfriend Tadaryl Shipp were convicted of the murder of Slemmer. Pike has been accused of cutting a pentagram on Slemmer's chest and striking her on the head with a piece of asphalt.

Jealousy was said to be the motive, but in the time since, horrific details from Pike's own childhood surfaced. Dr. Jonathan Pincus, Professor of Neurology at Georgetown University said that growing up, Pike had an ‘almost unbearably abusive background.’

She was a victim of sexual abuse, multiple rapes, and parental abandonment and neglect. Pike reportedly tried to take her own life at the age of 12. Then, at the age of 17, she was raped by a stranger. Dr. Bethany Brand, a clinical psychologist, noted that Pike's history was one of ‘extraordinarily severe extreme trauma’. She added that Pike ‘experienced more severe adverse events than 99% of the US population,’ as per a Cornell Law School advocacy page.

Pike reportedly was born with brain damage from her mother's use of alcohol when pregnant. She suffered seizures from infancy and growing up, struggled to control impulses and follow instructions. She was also reportedly raped by her grandmother's boyfriend. At 11, she was raped again and her mother didn't believe her until Pike developed an infection forcing a teacher to intervene.

She developed ‘Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder as a result of the sexual violence she suffered as a child,’ the Cornell page notes. “At 18 years old, her immature, traumatized brain made her exceptionally vulnerable to impulses and extremely poor decisions. Unmedicated and untreated, she was not able to put the ‘brakes on’ her bipolar-and trauma-triggered emotions,” Dr Brand further observed.

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