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5h ago

Tennessee to Execute Christa Pike on Sept. 30

Her lawyers say lethal injection could cause prolonged pain because of a blood disorder, leaving gubernatorial clemency as her last formal option.

WASHINGTON - JULY 01: Activists participate in a vigil against the death penalty in front of the U.S. Supreme Court July 1, 2008 in Washington, DC. The Abolitionist Action Committee and the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty held the vigil to abolish the death penalty to mark the 1972 and 1976 Supreme Court rulings suspending the death penalty and later allowing executions to resume. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
This undated photo released by the Tennessee Department of Correction shows Christa Pike. (Tennessee Department of Correction via AP)

Overview

  • Pike, Tennessee’s only woman on death row, is scheduled to be executed Wednesday, Sept. 30, for the 1995 murder of fellow Job Corps student Colleen Slemmer.
  • The Tennessee Supreme Court refused to stay the execution and Governor Bill Lee has not granted clemency, so a governor’s reprieve is Pike’s remaining legal avenue.
  • Pike’s lawyers say she is terrified of lethal injection because a rare platelet disorder could make IV access and drug reactions difficult, and they have filed a 226‑page clemency petition arguing the risk of severe pain.
  • After a recent problematic execution in Tennessee in which officials could not secure a second IV line, Pike sought alternative methods including hanging and an all‑female firing squad, and medical professionals have publicly warned the state to avoid procedures that could cause suffering.
  • If carried out, the execution would be the first of a woman in Tennessee in more than 200 years and the case is renewing scrutiny of the state’s execution protocol, the role of clinicians, and the governor’s use of clemency.