Christa Pike seeks firing squad, not lethal injection: Inside US executions

The US Supreme Court has denied Christa Pike's final request to halt her execution, scheduled for Wednesday morning by lethal injection. Pike, 50, has been on death row since her 1996 conviction for the 1995 murder of her teenage classmate, Colleen Slemmer. Governor Bill Lee also denied Pike's clemency request. Pike's execution will make her the first woman executed in Tennessee in over 200 years. She was 18 when she, along with her then-boyfriend, murdered Slemmer, a 19-year-old they met at a job training camp. The murder gained notoriety due to a pentagram carved into Slemmer's chest, a detail Pike has denied being responsible for.

Florida executed 77-year-old Curtis Wilkie Beasley on Tuesday for the 1995 hammer killing of Carolyn Monfort. Beasley was convicted of first-degree murder, robbery, and grand theft auto in the attack that occurred at Monfort's home. The Florida Supreme Court rejected arguments that executing Beasley, who is suffering from cognitive decline, would be cruel and unusual punishment, and the U.S. Supreme Court declined to intervene. Beasley's execution marks the 16th in Florida this year and the 29th nationwide. This execution comes as Florida approaches its 2022 record of 19 executions, with two more scheduled before the end of the year, though Governor Ron DeSantis has temporarily paused one due to competency concerns.

Christa Pike, the only woman on Tennessee's Death Row, is scheduled for execution by lethal injection, marking the state's first female execution in over 200 years. Pike, convicted of torturing and killing a classmate at age 18, has requested execution by an all-female firing squad, citing fears that lethal injection could trigger flashbacks of childhood sexual abuse. Her legal team also argues she has medical conditions that could complicate IV insertion for lethal injection. While her lawyers sought clemency, citing her youth and trauma at the time of the crime, Governor Bill Lee denied the request. Women constitute a small fraction of executions in the United States, and Tennessee has not executed a woman since 1820.

Tennessee is scheduled to execute Christa Pike, 50, on Wednesday for the 1995 murder of classmate Colleen Slemmer in Knoxville. Pike, who was 18 at the time of the crime, and her boyfriend were convicted of luring Slemmer to a secluded area, torturing, and killing her. Prosecutors stated Pike acted out of jealousy, fearing Slemmer was a romantic rival. This would be the first execution of a woman in Tennessee in 200 years. Governor Bill Lee has denied Pike's clemency request, and her attorneys have asked the Supreme Court for a stay. Pike's legal team argues her severe childhood abuse and mental illness, including bipolar disorder and PTSD, were not adequately presented at trial. Slemmer's mother supports the execution, stating she has waited decades for justice.

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has rejected a clemency bid for Christa Pike, whose execution is scheduled for September 30th. If carried out, Pike would be the first woman executed in Tennessee in over 200 years. Pike was convicted in 1996 of the 1995 murder of Colleen Slemmer, a crime that involved a pentagram carved into Slemmer's chest. Pike's attorneys argued that her brain was not fully developed at 18, the age she committed the murder, and that the state's execution protocol raises vital questions. Slemmer's mother has expressed a desire for the execution to proceed.