Tennessee governor rejects Christa Pike's plea for clemency

The governor of Tennessee has rejected a request for clemency from death row convict Christa Pike. Pike brutally murdered a person at the age of 18 and has been on death row in Tennessee for 30 years.

On March 30, 1996, Christa Gail Pike was sentenced to death for murder at the age of 20. A good year earlier, Pike and two friends tortured and murdered a classmate. The case attracted attention not only because the victim, Colleen Slemmer, had a pentagram carved into her chest. Pike also took a piece of Slemmer's skull from the crime scene. Police later found it in the jacket that belonged to Pike.

That's why she has been sitting in a prison in the US state of Tennessee for more than thirty years. Christa Pike's execution is scheduled for this week, September 30th. Shortly beforehand, a debate broke out about the execution. Because Pike was not only the perpetrator, but also the victim. According to her defense lawyers, Pike is mentally damaged and seriously ill: as a child she was neglected and sexually abused, and in prison she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and post-traumatic stress syndrome.

Governor Bill Lee upholds the verdict and says in a statement that he does not plan to “intervene.” Pike's lawyers regret the decision. The state of Tennessee is ignoring both scientific and legal findings because the “brain of an 18-year-old is not yet an adult brain” and 18 is too young to be executed.

There may be one last chance to prevent Pike's execution: her lawyers have filed a petition for a stay with the U.S. Supreme Court.

She murdered as a teenager - now Christa Pike is supposed to die. You can read more about the case here.