Christa Pike, scheduled to be executed in Tennessee on 30 September, has asked that only women be present during her execution, a request her legal team says is rooted in her history of childhood sexual abuse.
Background on her case
Pike was convicted at 18 of the 1995 murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer, a fellow student at a Knoxville job training centre, after becoming convinced Slemmer was pursuing her boyfriend, Tadaryl Shipp. She was sentenced to death, becoming the youngest woman in modern US history to receive capital punishment, while her co-defendants received lesser sentences.
Why she's requesting all-female staff
According to The Guardian, Pike's request stems from a childhood marked by severe abuse, including being raped at age 11 and again by a stranger at 17. Her lawyers say she fears that being physically restrained on an execution gurney, with staff handling her body and attempting to insert an IV line, could trigger traumatic memories of the abuse she experienced. The state has not yet guaranteed her request will be honoured, meaning she may still face being restrained and handled by men in her final moments.
Why this wasn't raised at trial
Pike's legal team argues that the full extent of the abuse she suffered, including the sexual assaults, was never presented to the jury that decided her sentence. Her lawyer, Kelleigh Gleason, told The Guardian: "None of the rapes, none of the sexual abuse as a child, were introduced." Her team has also argued that the abuse contributed to a later diagnosis of bipolar disorder, and submitted a 226-page clemency petition to Tennessee Governor Bill Lee asking for her sentence to be commuted to life without parole, placing significant emphasis on her childhood and mental health.
Where things stand now
Separately, Pike's lawyers have challenged Tennessee's lethal injection protocol, raising concerns about potential pain and suffering given her medical and psychological circumstances, though this challenge has not succeeded in halting her execution date. Further legal avenues reportedly remain open, but for now, her execution remains scheduled to proceed as planned.
