Christa Pike is scheduled for execution on Wednesday, September 30th, and if carried out, she will be the first woman put to death in Tennessee in more than two centuries. Pike, now 50, was convicted of the 1995 murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer. Her execution date comes after years of legal appeals have been exhausted, and the Tennessee Supreme Court recently denied her request to halt the proceedings.

Pike and her then-boyfriend murdered Slemmer after an argument where Pike accused Slemmer of insulting her and attempting to steal her boyfriend. The crime, which involved torture and the carving of a pentagram into Slemmer's chest, garnered significant media attention. Pike was sentenced to death a year later, while her boyfriend, who was a minor at the time, received a life sentence with parole eligibility.

Pike's defense team is making a final push for clemency, highlighting her history of severe childhood abuse, neglect, and sexual violence. They argue that these factors, along with untreated mental health conditions like bipolar disorder and PTSD, significantly influenced her actions and that she would not receive a death sentence if tried today. Sandra Babcock, an expert on gender and the death penalty at Cornell Law School involved in Pike's defense, stated that the jury never had the opportunity to consider the full extent of Pike's traumatic history.

"Her case is so uniquely compelling, not just because of her really incomprehensible history of sexual violence but the combination of that with her youth and her mental illness," Babcock said.

Forensic psychologists who have evaluated Pike noted her extensive history of abuse, starting before school age, and her mother's failure to believe her accounts of abuse. They contend that her untreated mental health issues contributed to her perception of threat and lack of emotional control during the incident. Pike was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in prison in 2021 and has been medicated since.

A portrait of Colleen Slemmer, taken in what looks like a photography studio with a backdrop. She is wearing a striped orange and white sweatshirt, gold drop earrings and is smiling at the camera. She has auburn hair and a fringe.

However, courts have previously ruled that the jury heard sufficient evidence of Pike's difficult childhood, and that new evidence regarding her mental health would not have altered the verdict. Pike's trial lawyer did not call several witnesses recommended by the defense, a decision her current legal team argued constituted ineffective assistance of counsel, a claim that was denied.

UN human rights experts have also called for Pike's execution to be halted. Her defense team is also seeking an all-female execution team, citing that being restrained by men would exacerbate her trauma. The state has indicated that female guards will transfer Pike to the execution facility but has not guaranteed the request.

Colleen Slemmer's mother, May Martinez, supports Pike's execution, stating that she believes Pike should pay for her crime. "She did the crime. I think she should pay for it," Martinez said in 2021, and reiterated her stance to the BBC this week. Victim's rights groups have also aligned with Martinez, asserting that the jury's decision should stand.

Christa Pike pictured as a teenager. She has curly brown hair and is wearing a pink top and jeans. She is looking down at something in her hands - the room is dark.

Pike's friend, Ashlee Sellars, who met Pike in prison, expressed a belief that while Colleen's mother deserves a sense of justice, everyone deserves a chance at redemption. Sellars, now an advocate for justice reform, believes Pike's current fight is for her life to matter, emphasizing the impact of childhood trauma and mental health on individuals' actions.

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has not previously granted clemency in a death penalty case. The decision on whether to commute Pike's sentence is expected to be made close to the execution date.