In the U.S. state of Tennessee, preparations are underway to execute a woman for the first time in 200 years — 50-year-old Christa Pike, who was sentenced to death for the 1995 murder of a classmate. Associated Press reports, UNN writes.
Details
Pike's execution is scheduled for Wednesday. She was 18 at the time of the crime, making her one of the youngest women in the United States to be sentenced to death.
Pike and her boyfriend were found guilty of murdering 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer, with whom they attended school in Knoxville. According to prosecutors, Pike considered the girl a romantic rival, lured her to a secluded location, where the victim was tortured and then killed.
Governor denies clemency
Pike does not deny her guilt. At the same time, her lawyers insist that the death penalty is a disproportionate punishment for a crime she committed at the age of 18 after a traumatic childhood and amid mental disorders. She was later diagnosed with bipolar disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder.
The defense also claims that Pike was sexually abused from childhood, and that jurors were not provided with important information about her past and mental state during the sentencing phase.
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee said on September 28 that he would not grant Pike clemency. Her lawyers asked the U.S. Supreme Court to halt the execution, while the mother of the murdered Colleen Slemmer supports carrying out the death sentence.