Attorney on Christa Pike's botched execution: "The real issue here is that we don't know anything"

Christa Pike, 50, is set for execution by lethal injection in Tennessee on Wednesday, becoming the first woman executed there in over 200 years. Pike was sentenced to death at age 18 after she and her boyfriend tortured and murdered Colleen Slemmer, a 19-year-old classmate from Knoxville Job Corps, in a jealous rage on January 12, 1995. The case garnered widespread attention due to the brutality of the crime and the presence of a satanic symbol carved into Slemmer’s body.

Pike's attorneys argue that she should not face execution given her history of severe sexual abuse as a child, untreated mental illness, and post-traumatic stress disorder. They have petitioned the US Supreme Court for a stay of execution but were denied by Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, who upheld Pike’s sentence after reviewing her clemency request.

Slemmer's mother, who has been waiting decades for justice, supports moving forward with the lethal injection despite Pike’s claims of mental health issues. If executed, Pike would be one of only 18 women put to death in the US since the 1970s, compared to over 1,600 men during that same period. Critics argue that current juries informed about Pike's background might not sentence her to death today. The case highlights ongoing debates around capital punishment and its appropriateness for crimes committed by minors with severe psychological trauma.