Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has denied a clemency request from Christa Pike, a death row inmate scheduled to be executed by lethal injection on September 30. If the execution proceeds, Pike would be the first woman executed in Tennessee in over 200 years. Pike, now 50, was 18 when she and her then-boyfriend murdered Colleen Slemmer, a 19-year-old they met at a job training camp for troubled teens. Her attorneys have filed a petition with the US Supreme Court seeking a last-minute reprieve.
Governor Lee stated, "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." Pike's legal team requested that her death sentence be commuted to life in prison, arguing that moving forward with her execution would place Tennessee in a unique position, as she would be the first person executed in the modern death penalty era who was a teenager at the time of the offense.
Attorneys Stephen Ferrell, Kelly Gleason, and Randy Spivey expressed concerns about Tennessee's execution protocol, stating, "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."
The murder of Colleen Slemmer in 1995 attracted significant media attention, particularly due to the circumstances surrounding her death. Pike had accused Slemmer of insulting her and attempting to steal her boyfriend. Witnesses testified that Pike bragged about the murder and displayed a piece of Slemmer's skull. Pike was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death, while her then-boyfriend, Tadaryl Shipp, received a life sentence.
Pike's execution is set for September 30, following years of failed appeals. Colleen Slemmer's mother has stated that she wishes for Pike's execution to proceed so her daughter can finally rest. Pike's defense team has highlighted her history of childhood trauma and mental illness, arguing that if she were tried today, she would not receive a death sentence. They claim that she has since become a remorseful individual who understands her actions and provides support to fellow incarcerated women.