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Supreme Court Denies Tennessee Death Row Inmate Christa Pike's Request to Stop Execution
Pike, Tennessee’s only female death row inmate, lost her final appeal after advocates cited her traumatic childhood and mental illness.
On Tuesday, the U.S. Supreme Court denied a stay of execution for Christa Pike, clearing the way for her scheduled lethal injection on Wednesday morning at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution.
Pike, 50, was convicted for the 1995 murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer, whom she and her boyfriend tortured in Knoxville after luring her to the woods.
Attorneys argued the execution would be unconstitutionally cruel, citing Pike's history of severe sexual abuse as a minor and potential PTSD flashbacks during the process.
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee denied a clemency request on Monday, while May Martinez, Slemmer's mother, stated she views Pike's execution as long-awaited justice for her daughter.
If the execution proceeds, Pike will become the first woman executed in Tennessee in more than 200 years, marking a historic precedent in the state's application of capital punishment.