Supreme Court backs Tennessee's first female execution in 200 years

Wed Sep 30 2026 06:02:22 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

The US Supreme Court rejected Christa Pike’s last‑ditch request, keeping her lethal injection on schedule.

The Supreme Court denied a final appeal to stop the execution of Christa Pike, slated for 11:00 am Wednesday at Riverbend. Pike, 50, has been on death row since 1996 after murdering a teenage classmate. Her attorneys argued that her teenage brain rendered her unfit for death, but the court stayed the reprieve. The move sets the stage for the first female execution in Tennessee in over 200 years, sparking debate over age and gender in capital punishment.

Supreme Court backs Tennessee's first female execution in 200 years

In a stark move, the US Supreme Court refused to halt the scheduled execution of 50‑year‑old Christa Pike, who has been on death row since 1996. The decision keeps the lethal injection set for 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday at Riverbend, potentially making Pike the only woman to face the electric chair in Tennessee for more than two centuries.

Pike’s attorneys had filed a last‑minute petition arguing that her teenage brain was not capable of being sentenced to death and that she was too young to face the ultimate punishment. Governor Bill Lee had already denied a clemency request earlier in the week.

Background: The case stems from 1995 when Pike, then 18, and her boyfriend murdered 19‑year‑old Colleen Slemmer in Knoxville. The brutal killing, in which Slemmer’s body was found with an inverted pentagram carved onto her chest, drew national attention.

Pike was the youngest person on Tennessee’s death row at the time of her conviction. Critics say the case highlights ongoing debates over gender and age in capital punishment, with only 18 women also sentenced to death in the U.S. since the 1970s.

The execution is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. GMT. The story continues to spark discussion around the ethics of the death penalty and legal protections for juveniles.