Stephen Ferrell

Stephen Ferrell is an attorney representing Christa Pike, a woman scheduled for execution in Tennessee. Pike, convicted in the 1995 murder of Colleen Slemmer, is set to be the first woman executed in the state in 200 years. Ferrell, along with fellow attorneys Kelly Gleason and Randy Spivey, had submitted a clemency bid to the governor on Pike's behalf. They argued that an 18-year-old's brain is not fully developed, making execution at that age, or later for a crime committed at that age, a matter of significant legal and scientific debate. The governor's rejection of the clemency request means Pike's execution is proceeding, leaving Ferrell and the legal team's concerns about Tennessee's execution protocol and the age of the offender unaddressed by the state's highest executive office.