Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has denied clemency for Christa Gail Pike, which will make her become the first woman executed by the state in more than 200 years.
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has denied clemency for Christa Gail Pike, keeping her on track to become the first woman executed by the state in more than 200 years.
Pike is on death row for the 1995 murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer.
After deliberate consideration of Christa Gail Pike’s request for clemency and after a thorough review of the case, I am upholding the sentence of the State of Tennessee and do not plan to intervene," a statement from Gov. Lee reads.
This decision comes after a petition for clemency highlighted Pike’s background of severe trauma, untreated mental illness and childhood sexual abuse. Opponents of the death penalty held a press conference against the execution Monday morning and marched from Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville to the Tennessee State Capitol on Sunday.
According to her attorneys, Pike was sentenced on March 30, 1996 for a crime she committed at 18, making her the youngest woman to receive the death penalty in the modern era of executions. Her attorneys add Pike experienced repeated rapes and other abuse starting as a toddler and by age 18, she had faced multiple childhood sexual assaults, parental neglect and abandonment.
We are deeply saddened and heartbroken by Governor Lee’s decision to deny clemency for Christa Pike," a statement from her attorneys read. "Moving ahead with her execution puts the State of Tennessee on singular footing: Christa will be the first person Tennessee executes in the modern death penalty era who was a teenager at the time of the offense and the first woman executed by the state in more than 200 years...The 18-year-old girl suffering from severe mental illness and near-debilitating trauma no longer exists. Christa is a 50-year-old remorseful woman who understands her actions, receives proper treatment for her mental illness and provides for and guides fellow incarcerated women.
See the full statement from Pike's lawyers below:
“We are deeply saddened and heartbroken by Governor Lee’s decision to deny clemency for Christa Pike. Moving ahead with her execution puts the State of Tennessee on singular footing: Christa will be the first person Tennessee executes in the modern death penalty era who was a teenager at the time of the offense and the first woman executed by the state in more than 200 years.
Throughout her childhood, Christa was failed by people and institutions that should have shown her care and meaningful intervention. Instead, her childhood was marked by repeated, documented rape and sexual abuse, neglect, and violence.
The 18-year-old girl suffering from severe mental illness and near-debilitating trauma no longer exists. Christa is a 50-year-old remorseful woman who understands her actions, receives proper treatment for her mental illness, and provides for and guides fellow incarcerated women.
With this decision, the State of Tennessee is ignoring what both science and our legal system have decided: an 18-year-old brain is not an adult brain, and 18 is too young to face execution. This decision also leaves unanswered vital questions about Tennessee’s execution protocol.
We will continue to support Christa through every remaining avenue and advocate for a system that is transparent for the people of Tennessee.”
BEYOND THE HEADLINES | New documentary takes another look at Christa Pike before execution
Thirty-one years ago, then 18-year-old Pike, admitted to luring Slemmer into a secluded area from the Knoxville Job Corps Center before beating and stabbing her to death. Pike's reported motive was jealousy over a boyfriend.
The victim's mother, May Martinez, said she believes Pike should be held accountable for Slemmer's death.
On top of Gov. Lee denying clemency, the Tennessee Supreme Court denied Pike's request to stop the execution. Pike's attorneys have challenged Tennessee's lethal injection protocol, arguing it could cause unconstitutional pain and suffering, but all challenges have been unsuccessful up until this point.
Pike's attorneys have also raised concerns about the doctor who will handle Pike's procedure. In August, FOX 17 News confirmed the doctor who oversaw the failed Tennessee procedure of Tony Carruthers' execution will also handle Pike's execution. Gov. Lee delayed Carruthers' execution for one year after officials were unable to find a vein for one hour.
With the governor’s decision, Pike’s fate now stands as a significant chapter in Tennessee’s approach to capital punishment.
Pike's lethal injection is scheduled for 10 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 30.
