Christa Pike Could Be Executed Wednesday, Would Be First Woman Put to Death in Tennessee in 200 Years

WASHINGTON: Christa Pike, 50, could be executed on Wednesday in the U.S. state of Tennessee. If carried out, it would be the first execution of a woman in the state since 1820. Pike was convicted in 1995 of murdering Colleen Slemmer, a 19-year-old fellow student. Pike was 18 at the time.
According to prosecutors, Pike feared Slemmer was a romantic rival. She took her to a secluded spot, where she and her boyfriend tortured and killed her. The three were classmates at the Knoxville Job Corps. The case drew wide attention for its brutality and the young age of those involved.
Pike does not deny the crime, but her lawyers say a death sentence is inappropriate for an offense committed at 18. They say she suffered severe childhood sexual abuse and neglect, and was later diagnosed with bipolar disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. Assistant Federal Defender Stephen Ferrell said key details of her background were not presented to the jury at sentencing. In her clemency petition, Pike said she was an 18-year-old girl suffering from mental illness and that it took her years to understand what she had done.
Her boyfriend, Tadaryl Shipp, was 17 at the time and received life with the possibility of parole; his parole request was denied last year. A third teenager admitted to assisting and was released on probation.
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee announced Monday that he would not grant clemency. Pike’s lawyers have asked the Supreme Court for a stay of execution. Robin M. Maher, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center, said she doubted a jury would impose a death sentence if it knew of the documented childhood abuse and neglect.
Slemmer’s mother, May Martinez, wants the sentence carried out, saying she has waited decades. She said her daughter volunteered with Special Olympics, loved roller skating and wanted a career in computers. Last week would have been Slemmer’s 51st birthday.
According to the center, 18 women have been executed in the U.S. since 1976, roughly one percent of the total.