Tennessee is scheduled to execute Christa Pike on September 30, which would make her the first woman put to death in the state since 1819. Pike was convicted of torturing and murdering Colleen Slemmer in 1995 and was sentenced to death at age 18. She is the only woman currently on Tennessee’s death row.
This week, youth advocates held a press conference urging Governor Bill Lee to commute Pike’s sentence. They cited the severe abuse she suffered as a child and pointed to decades of research on how childhood trauma affects development and decision-making. The group argued that commuting her sentence would still hold Pike accountable while recognizing what we now know about the lifelong consequences of childhood adversity.
One fact keeps surfacing in this case: eight people were sentenced to death in Tennessee at age 18, and Pike is the only one still on death row. Governor Lee has said the execution will proceed as planned.
What do you think? Should an 18-year-old ever face execution, and should a history of childhood abuse factor into clemency decisions?
