Tadaryl Shipp, convicted for his role in the 1995 murder of 19-year-old Job Corps student Colleen Slemmer in Knoxville, was denied parole by the Tennessee Board of Parole in October 2025 and will not be considered again until October 2031.1WBIR. Killer in 1995 Knoxville Job Corps Case Denied Parole It was his first parole bid after three decades in prison.
The October 2025 Parole Denial
Shipp’s first parole hearing took place in October 2025 at the Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville, Tennessee.2WBIR. Killer in 1995 Knoxville Job Corps Case Up for First Parole Hearing At a review hearing on October 8, board member Tim Gobble voted to deny parole, citing the seriousness of Slemmer’s murder.3WVLT. First Board Member Recommends Denying Paroling Man Convicted in Job Corps Murder
On October 20, 2025, the full board reached a final decision, with four members voting as required, to deny release. The stated reason was “the seriousness of the offense.”4WVLT. Board Denies Parole for Man Convicted in 1995 Job Corps Murder The board set his next review for October 2031 and recommended in the meantime that Shipp complete programming outlined by his “Strong R” risk assessment and maintain positive institutional behavior.5WATE. Parole Denied for Man Convicted in 1995 Knoxville Murder
The 1995 Murder of Colleen Slemmer
On the evening of January 12, 1995, Shipp, his then-girlfriend Christa Gail Pike, and another Job Corps student named Shadolla Peterson lured Slemmer to the steam plant area on the University of Tennessee’s agricultural campus, reportedly under the pretense of smoking marijuana.1WBIR. Killer in 1995 Knoxville Job Corps Case Denied Parole Pike, who was 18, had grown jealous because she believed Slemmer was interested in Shipp.6Volopedia (University of Tennessee Libraries). Job Corps Student Murdered on Agriculture Campus
The attack lasted between 30 minutes and an hour. Pike and Shipp beat, kicked, stabbed, and slashed Slemmer with a box cutter and a miniature meat cleaver. Slemmer tried to flee several times but was caught and dragged back. The attackers carved a pentagram into her chest and struck her with rocks and chunks of asphalt. She died from blunt force trauma to the head.7U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Pike v. Gross Her body was found the next morning by university employees.6Volopedia (University of Tennessee Libraries). Job Corps Student Murdered on Agriculture Campus
Shipp’s Role, Conviction, and Sentence
According to Pike’s confession and the trial record, Shipp caught Slemmer when she tried to run, held her down while Pike cut her, gagged her with a rag to stifle her screams, and struck her with a rock. He also admitted to carving the pentagram into the victim’s chest.8Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals. State v. Shipp He was convicted under a theory of criminal responsibility for his co-defendants’ actions as well as for his own direct participation.9CaseMine. State v. Shipp
A Knox County jury convicted Shipp in 1997 of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder.8Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals. State v. Shipp After appeals over the sentencing structure, his final sentence stands at life with the possibility of parole plus a consecutive 25 years for the conspiracy conviction.5WATE. Parole Denied for Man Convicted in 1995 Knoxville Murder He has been incarcerated continuously since January 1995.2WBIR. Killer in 1995 Knoxville Job Corps Case Up for First Parole Hearing
Why Shipp Was Not Sentenced to Death
Shipp was 17 at the time of the killing, which made him ineligible for the death penalty, a bar rooted in constitutional protections later codified by the U.S. Supreme Court in Roper v. Simmons (2005).7U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Pike v. Gross Pike, one year older, was sentenced to death and remains the only woman on Tennessee’s death row.10Tennessee Department of Correction. Women on Death Row
The gap between the two sentences has itself become a legal issue. In a 2019 concurring opinion in Pike v. Gross, Sixth Circuit Judge Jane Stranch wrote that Pike’s death sentence sits in tension with the Supreme Court’s evolving Eighth Amendment jurisprudence on youthful offenders. “Had she been 17 rather than 18 at the time of her crime, like her codefendant Tadaryl Shipp, Christa Pike would not be eligible for the death penalty,” Stranch observed, questioning whether the one-year age gap justified the starkly different outcomes.7U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Pike v. Gross
The Victim’s Family and the Parole Process
May Martinez, Slemmer’s mother, was not initially notified of Shipp’s 2025 hearing because the parole board had outdated contact information for her. After a reporter alerted her, she planned to submit a video statement opposing his release.1WBIR. Killer in 1995 Knoxville Job Corps Case Denied Parole
Martinez has spent decades advocating for the perpetrators to remain incarcerated. She has described her daughter as a “computer geek” who enjoyed running marathons, roller skating, and babysitting children. Reflecting on the crime, she said: “Something you don’t want to face, your daughter’s skull in front of you everyday and have it passed around like it was a piece of meat.”11WVLT. Murder Victim’s Mother Continues Fight for Justice in Brutal 1995 Murder
Under the parole board’s schedule, Shipp’s next chance at release will come in October 2031.5WATE. Parole Denied for Man Convicted in 1995 Knoxville Murder