Christa Pike to be first woman executed in Tennessee in 200 years - but her defence say she's a victim too

What the report says

Christa Pike is scheduled to be executed by lethal injection in Tennessee on 30 September, which would make her the first woman executed in the state in more than 200 years, according to BBC World News. Pike was convicted in connection with the 1995 killing of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer, whom she and her boyfriend Tadaryl Shipp beat, tortured and murdered while both were teens. Pike received a death sentence, while Shipp was sentenced to life with the possibility of parole.

The BBC reports that Pike’s lawyers have filed a 226-page clemency petition asking Governor Bill Lee to commute the sentence. They argue that Pike had a traumatic childhood marked by abuse, neglect and later mental health diagnoses, and say a teenager with that background would likely not receive death today. The Tennessee Supreme Court has already rejected a request to halt the execution, and earlier appeals courts said the jury had heard enough about her background at trial to justify the verdict.

The article also notes that Slemmer’s mother supports the execution and says she wants Pike to pay for the crime. A victims’ rights group has likewise backed the sentence and helped raise money for the family to attend. Pike has requested an all-female execution team, citing trauma concerns. More broadly, the case highlights continuing debate over capital punishment, clemency, trauma and how childhood abuse and mental illness should factor into sentencing.