En la noche del 12 de enero de 1995, un bosque cercano a la Universidad de Tennessee, en Knoxville, se convirtió en el escenario de un crimen que aún hoy genera conmoción en Estados Unidos.

Allí, una joven de 19 años fue asesinada tras un tortura prolongada y extremadamente violenta. Por ese hecho, una chica de apenas 18 sería luego condenada a muerte y pasaría a ser parte de la historia judicial del país.

La acusada era Christa Gail Pike. Había nacido el 10 de marzo de 1976 en Virginia Occidental y, al momento del crimen, participaba de un programa estatal para jóvenes de bajos recursos que ofrecía formación laboral. Allí, se anotó a un curso de computación, donde conoció a Tadaryl Shipp, su novio de 17 años, con quien mantenía una relación intensa y conflictiva.

En ese contexto, los jóvenes comenzaron a interesarse por prácticas vinculadas al ocultismo. Según surgió en la investigación, ambos tenían una fuerte fascinación por el satanismo y realizaban rituales que formaban parte de esa creencia.

Un conflicto amoroso y un plan macabro

El conflicto se originó cuando Pike empezó a sospechar que otra integrante del programa, Colleen Slemmer, intentaba acercarse a su novio con intenciones diferentes a la de una amistad. Aunque esa versión fue negada por allegados a la víctima, la duda creció hasta transformarse en un plan macabro.

De acuerdo con la causa, Pike decidió enfrentar a Slemmer y organizó un encuentro con una excusa: arreglarse y dejar de llevarse mal. Por eso, en la noche del 12 de enero, junto a Shipp y otra joven de 18 años, Shadolla Peterson, convencieron a Colleen de ir a una zona aislada con la promesa de fumar marihuana y hablar de manera tranquila. El objetivo era otro: ofrecerla como “sacrificio a Satanás”.

Los cuatro se dirigieron a un bosque cercano al campus, en donde nunca había nadie. Sin embargo, lo que parecía una reunión común terminó siendo una trampa. Apenas llegaron, Pike y Shipp comenzaron a atacar a Slemmer, mientras Peterson vigilaba que ninguna persona se acercara.

El nivel de violencia fue uno de los puntos más impactantes del caso, ya que se estableció que la tortura se extendió durante más de media hora. La víctima fue golpeada, cortada, humillada y hasta le “tallaron” un pentagrama en el pecho con un cuchillo, como parte de un ritual satánico.

Finalmente, Pike tomó una piedra y lo usó para aplastar el cráneo de la joven. El ataque terminó con la muerte de Colleen en el mismo lugar al que había sido llevada con engaños.

Después del crimen, ocurrió uno de los hechos que más pesó en la causa. Pike se llevó un fragmento del cráneo de la víctima y lo guardó. En las horas siguientes, llegó a mostrarlo a otras personas como un “premio”

La investigación

Rápidamente, los allegados a Colleen Slemmer se dieron cuenta de que había desaparecido. Un registro del lugar donde vivían los jóvenes indicaba que habían salido cuatro personas juntas, pero solo tres habían vuelto. Esa inconsistencia activó la investigación sobre ellos.

Después de 36 horas del crimen, Pike, Shipp y Peterson fueron detenidos. Durante el procedimiento, los policías encontraron el fragmento del cráneo de la víctima en la campera de Pike.

En los registros en las habitaciones de los sospechosos, los investigadores también descubrieron elementos que llamaron la atención de los peritos.

En el cuarto de Shipp hallaron una copia de la llamada “Biblia satánica”, un libro asociado a prácticas ocultistas que ya habían sido mencionadas en testimonios previos. Ese hallazgo reforzó la hipótesis de que el ataque pudo haber sido premeditado.

Poco después de su detención, Christa confesó: admitió haber participado en la tortura y el asesinato, aunque intentó minimizar su responsabilidad al asegurar que solo querían asustar a la víctima y que la situación “se les fue de control”.

Una condena histórica

El juicio comenzó en 1996 y una de sus características fue la contundencia de las pruebas presentadas por la fiscalía. La confesión, los testimonios y la evidencia física construyeron un cuadro complicado de revertir para la defensa.

El 22 de marzo de ese año, tras pocas horas de deliberación, el jurado declaró culpable a Christa Gail Pike de asesinato y conspiración. Días más tarde, fue condenada a muerte por el homicidio de Colleen Slemmer y a 25 años de prisión por el cargo adicional. La joven lloró y gritó al escuchar la decisión del jurado.

Las condenas de los otros implicados fueron diferentes. Tadaryl Shipp recibió cadena perpetua con posibilidad de libertad condicional, mientras que Shadolla Peterson, que colaboró con la Justicia, fue sentenciada como cómplice y luego obtuvo beneficios.

Apelaciones rechazadas y un intento de fuga

A lo largo de los años, Christa Gail Pike presentó múltiples apelaciones para revertir su sentencia. Sus abogados argumentaron que había crecido en un entorno de extrema vulnerabilidad y que su historia personal debía ser considerada como atenuante. Pese a ello, todos los intentos fueron rechazados por los tribunales.

En 2012, Pike intentó escaparse de la cárcel con la ayuda de dos cómplices, pero su plan fracasó. Esto derivó en un endurecimiento de sus condiciones de detención.

Leé también: Contrató a dos jóvenes para matar a su exesposa, pero se equivocaron y asesinaron a la hermana de la mujer

El caso volvió a cobrar relevancia en septiembre del año pasado, cuando la Justicia estadounidense confirmó la fecha de ejecución: el 30 de septiembre de 2026. De concretarse, sería la primera mujer ejecutada en el estado de Tennessee en 200 años.

FIRST ON FOX: A billionaire gubernatorial candidate in Georgia, who has said there is «no bigger supporter of Trump right now than I am,» is facing questions after a healthcare company within his business empire criticized President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

Rick Jackson has spent months trying to cast himself as the race’s most pro-Trump candidate who will be Trump’s «favorite governor» despite Trump’s endorsement of Lt. Gov. Burt Jones. However, one of his companies has repeatedly criticized the OBBBA, a landmark GOP legislative package that Trump endorsed and signed into law last year.

Jackson Physician Search, a subsidiary of Jackson Healthcare, said on its website in September 2025 that the bill’s «sweeping cuts to Medicaid and ACA programs raise serious concerns about access, equity, and sustainability,» and warned that some hospitals may need to «adapt or close their doors.»

In a February 2026 recruitment report, the company also said the law was projected to cause «between 10 and 15 million people» to lose health coverage, while Medicare and Medicaid cuts were creating «significant financial pressure» across healthcare organizations and considerable «fear and uncertainty» about what lies ahead.

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«Rick supports the Big Beautiful Bill. Period,» Mike Schrimpf, a spokesperson for Jackson’s campaign told Fox News Digital. «Growing up in the projects, Rick believes in the dignity of work and is a strong proponent of work requirements for that reason. He has long opposed Obamacare and regularly touts President Trump’s healthcare policies, like TrumpRx, on the campaign trail. That’s why Rick Jackson will be Donald Trump’s favorite governor.»

Schrimpf added that «for months» Democrats have been attacking Jackson for his support of the OBBBA, noting «this attack makes about as much sense as accusing a pilot of hating to fly.»

At a campaign event last month in Thomasville, Georgia, Jackson told constituents that he thought there were «many parts» of the OBBBA that were «great,» and said he would be paying «40 percent more in taxes» if it had not passed, and defended work requirements in the bill by saying they motivate people to be productive and get off Medicaid.

«The worst thing that we can do is tell people — is get people relying on government where they have no incentive to work,» Jackson told constituents. 

«It’s the most dehumanizing thing that you can do,» he continued. «God made us to be productive.»

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Jackson has also drawn himself closer to Trump by praising his tariff policies. «I believe in fairness,» Jackson said in March. «Don’t want somebody to take advantage of us in a business transaction. That’s what he’s trying to do. So I support.»

Meanwhile, Jackson, who reportedly modeled his campaign launch after Trump with a celebratory elevator descent, said he can’t name a single White House policy he disagreed with, according to the Atlanta-Journal Constitution.

Republican candidate for Georgia governor Rick Jackson is pictured next to President Donald Trump. (Rick Jackson/Getty Images)

But, despite these assertions from Jackson on the campaign trail, his remarks stand at stark odds with his physician search firm warning in a February white paper about «considerable fear and uncertainty» for what is to come as the result of the OBBBA.

 «The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) is projected to cause between 10 and 15 million people to lose health coverage,» the white paper notes, citing new public healthcare work requirements implemented by the OBBBA. «Medicare and Medicaid cuts are creating significant financial pressure across healthcare organizations,» it continues.

The same report, which includes comments from the firm’s senior leadership and other content on the search firm’s website, also slammed H-1B visa provisions in the OBBBA aimed at restoring integrity to the immigration program that has reportedly been rife with fraud, arguing it would be a net negative for the healthcare industry.

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The materials and resources also said OBBBA would promote physician burnout, would likely force rural hospitals to shut down, would discourage hopeful physicians from going to school, thus exacerbating the existing doctor shortage, and briefly emphasized the negative impact of Trump’s tariffs on physician recruitment.

«My team works with clients throughout the Midwest who are facing department closures if they can’t hire a physician or advanced practice provider. For proof, just look at the number of labor and delivery departments forced to close in the past few years,» said Senior Vice President of Recruiting at Jackson Physician Search, Tara Osseck. «Now, recent policy changes — including provisions in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) and increased fees affecting international visas — are adding new layers of complexity to an already challenging physician recruitment environment.»

«The implications are significant,» Osseck adds. «Coverage losses can lead to increases in uncompensated care, placing additional strain on already thin operating margins. When financial pressure mounts, healthcare organizations may delay service expansions, reduce hiring plans, or freeze recruitment altogether.»

Medicaid protesters hold signs challenging Republican reforms to the federal health insurance program near the U.S. Capitol building. (Leigh Vogel/Getty Images for Caring Across Generations)

The OBBBA, a wide-ranging bill, included reforms to the federal student loan program aimed at making education more affordable. However, Regional Vice President of Recruiting at Jackson Physician Search, Tonya Hamlin, warned the reforms will actually make it harder for hopeful physicians to get to college.

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«These reforms could force students to absorb the difference through private loans or personal resources,» Hamlin wrote in a blog post on the search firm’s website. «They could also cause lower-income students to reconsider attendance altogether.»

Hamlin went on to warn that with less people able to go to medical school, the shortage of physicians will only get worse for hospitals and clinics.

«Despite these additional hurdles, clinicians and trainees must not be deterred,» Hamlin encouraged. «Stay focused on the higher purpose of your calling while staying informed, planning ahead financially, and engaging in ongoing advocacy.»

The Republican primary race for Georgia governor has been a messy one between Jackson and other frontrunner candidates, including Jones, Attorney General Chris Carr, and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. In particular, Jones and Jackson, have been sparring over who is more aligned with Trump.

«This Primary Election is very simple,» Jones says on his campaign website. «There is one authentic conservative who has fought for President Trump.»

GOP candidates for Georgia governor, Rick Jackson and Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, are pictured with President Donald Trump as they campaign as Trump loyalists. (Rick Jackson/Getty Images)

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Jackson, meanwhile, donated $1 million to the president’s political action committee, MAGA Inc. less than two months before he jumped into the race in February and has faced backlash for cutting 6-figure checks to the presidential campaigns of Trump’s former GOP rivals during the 2024 Republican primary. 

Jackson also reportedly ran an ad against Raffenspeger portraying him as the Biblical character Judas in an attempt to portray him as a traitor for defying Trump’s efforts to challenge Georgia’s 2020 election results.

The Republican primary to see who will move on to the general election in Georgia’s gubernatorial fight will take place on May 19. The first and only debate between the candidates is scheduled for Monday.

Fox News Digital reached out to Jackson Physician Search.

The number of people killed in a bombing in a volatile region in southwest Colombia rose to 20, officials said Sunday.

The attack happened Saturday when an explosive device was detonated on a bus traveling along the Pan-American Highway in the municipality of Cajibio. So far, 15 women and five men are among the victims, according to Octavio Guzmán, governor of the region of Cauca.

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He wrote on X that the attack injured 36 others, three of whom are in intensive care. Guzmán noted that five of the injured are minors who are expected to recover.

Colombia’s Institute of Legal Medicine said that specialists including dentists, anthropologists and forensic doctors are identifying the victims.

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People observe the aftermath of the attack in Cajibio, Colombia, Sunday, April 26, 2026. Colombian officials blamed dissident FARC factions for the bus bombing that killed 20 people in the volatile Cauca region. (AP Photo/Santiago Saldarriaga)

The bombing is the latest attack in the region, with more than two dozen incidents reported in the past three days in southwestern Colombia. The region is home to illegal armed groups who vie for control of coca leaf cultivation areas and for sea and river access routes to run drug trafficking operations to Central America and Europe.

Gen. Hugo López, commander of Colombia’s armed forces, has described the incident as a «terrorist act.» He blamed it on the network of a man known as «Iván Mordisco» — one of Colombia’s most wanted figures — and the Jaime Martínez faction. Both are dissidents of the now-defunct Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia that operate in the region.

A man looks at vehicles damaged in the bombing in Cajibio, Colombia, Sunday, April 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Santiago Saldarriaga)

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The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights condemned the attacks against the civilian population and called on authorities to investigate the incidents and «guarantee justice for the victims.»

Guzmán declared three days of mourning on Sunday in memory of the victims.