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Tennessee governor rejects plea for clemency
BBC • • nation
Key Points:
- Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has denied clemency for Christa Pike, a death row inmate scheduled for execution by lethal injection on September 30, maintaining the state's sentence after thorough review.
- Pike, now 50, was convicted of the 1995 torture and murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer when Pike was 18; if executed, she would be the first woman executed in Tennessee in over 200 years.
- Pike's attorneys have filed a last-minute petition with the US Supreme Court seeking reprieve, arguing that executing someone for a crime committed as a teenager ignores scientific and legal consensus on brain development.
- The murder case attracted significant media attention due to the brutal nature of the crime and Pike's behavior, including bragging about the murder and displaying a piece of the victim's skull.
- Despite Pike's documented history of childhood abuse and mental illness, her execution is supported by the victim’s family, while her lawyers contend she is now a remorseful adult who would not receive the death penalty if tried today.
