Tennessee prepares to execute Christa Pike, first woman in 200 years

Tennessee is preparing to execute Christa Pike on September 30, making her the first woman to be put to death in the state in over 200 years. Pike, 50, was convicted of the 1995 murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer. At the time of the crime, Pike was 18, making her the youngest woman sentenced to death in modern U.S. history.

Pike’s legal team has filed a 226-page clemency petition with Governor Bill Lee, requesting his intervention to commute her death sentence to life imprisonment without parole. The petition highlights Pike’s history of severe childhood sexual abuse, neglect, and mental health issues, arguing that her actions at 18 cannot be separated from the systemic failures that failed to protect her as a child. Her attorney, Kelly Gleason, stated that the Governor has the opportunity to “correct the mistakes of the adults, institutions and systems” that failed Pike.

Additionally, Pike has requested that her execution team consist entirely of women, citing post-traumatic stress disorder and a terror of men resulting from her childhood trauma. Her lawyers argue that male executioners would cause severe re-traumatization. Various advocacy groups have also joined the calls for clemency, urging the Governor to halt the execution.