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Governor’s decision leaves execution date unchanged

The clemency request for Christa Pike was rejected by Tennessee Governor Bill Lee. Her execution by lethal injection is scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 30. Meanwhile, her defense team has asked the U.S. Supreme Court for a decision that could stop the execution at the last minute.

Bill Lee said, “I do not plan to intervene.”

If the execution goes ahead, Pike would be the first woman put to death in Tennessee in more than 200 years. Since the 1970s, 18 women have been executed in the United States, compared with 1,663 men during the same period.

What arguments is the defense making?

Pike’s lawyers, Stephen Ferrell, Kelly Gleason and Randy Spivey, argue that the state would be taking an extraordinary step in this case. According to the attorneys, because Pike was 18 at the time of the crime, Tennessee could be carrying out the first execution in its modern death penalty era of a person who was very young when the offense was committed.

  • The lawyers say there are unanswered questions about the state’s execution protocol.
  • The defense argues that Pike’s history of childhood abuse, neglect and mental illness was not fully considered by the jury.

Records added to the case say Pike was sexually abused as a child and suffered abandonment and neglect. The defense argues that if the same crime were committed today, and the defendant’s age and mental condition were reconsidered, the outcome could be something other than the death penalty. The lawyers also say Pike is now 50, feels remorse, and has supported other women in prison.

The 1995 killing and the case background

The case drew major attention in Knoxville, Tennessee, in 1995. Colleen Slemmer was killed by Pike and her then-boyfriend after meeting them at a work-training camp for troubled teenagers. During the investigation, Pike was said to have accused Slemmer of insulting her and trying to take her boyfriend away.

Two camp residents told the court that Pike boasted about the killing before and after it happened and even showed them a piece of the victim’s skull. Pike was found guilty of first-degree murder a year later and sentenced to death. Tadaryl Shipp, then 17, received a life sentence with the possibility of parole.

According to the Tennessee Department of Correction, Pike was the youngest inmate on death row when she entered prison at age 21. The victim’s mother says she wants the execution to go ahead so her daughter can finally be at peace. Any possible ruling from the Supreme Court will determine whether the Sept. 30 schedule remains unchanged.

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