September 30, 2026 – Tennessee is scheduled to carry out the execution of Christa Pike by lethal injection on Wednesday, marking the first time in over 200 years that the state has put a woman to death.

Pike, now 50, was convicted of murdering 19-year-old classmate Colleen Slemmer in 1995 when both were enrolled in the Knoxville Job Corps program. At the time of the crime, Pike was 18 years old. She remains the only woman on death row in Tennessee.

The case has triggered strong reactions from legal advocates, international bodies, and the victim’s family:

*Pike’s Defense and Clemency Petition: In her clemency request, Pike expressed deep remorse for her actions, noting that she suffered from severe, untreated mental illness—including bipolar disorder and PTSD—along with a background of intense childhood abuse and trauma. Her legal team and trauma experts argued that the lethal injection process would inflict extreme distress and flashbacks, while United Nations human rights experts called for her sentence to be commuted to life imprisonment.

*The Victim’s Family: Slemmer’s mother, May Martinez, supported carrying out the execution, remembering her daughter as a generous and easygoing person who loved working with computers and volunteering before her life was cut short.

*Co-defendants: Two other teenagers were involved in the 1995 murder. Pike’s then-boyfriend, who was 17 at the time, received a life sentence, while another teenager received probation after testifying against Pike and her boyfriend.

Executions of female prisoners remain exceptionally rare in the United States. According to data from the Death Penalty Information Center, women account for only 18 of the more than 1,600 executions carried out nationwide since the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated capital punishment in 1976.

Watch the video: Tennessee set to execute a woman for first time in 200 years

This video report covers the execution of Christa Pike and details the historical context of Tennessee carrying out a death sentence for a female inmate for the first time in over two centuries.

Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/tennessee-due-execute-woman-first-time-two-centuries-2026-09-30/