Christa Pike, now 50, is scheduled to be executed on Wednesday in what would be Tennessee's first execution of a woman in 200 years. She was convicted in 1995, at age 18, of killing 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer in a jealous rage at their shared Knoxville Job Corps. The case gained widespread attention due to the brutality of the killing and the ages of those involved, and now raises significant questions about whether capital punishment is appropriate for crimes committed by teenagers.

Pike's defence emphasises her traumatic childhood, which included severe sexual abuse from early childhood, alongside her diagnosed bipolar disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. Her trial lawyers failed to present crucial information about her background to the jury during sentencing. Notably, Pike's boyfriend Tadaryl Shipp, who was 17 at the time, received a life sentence with the possibility of parole due to his younger age, whilst a third teenager received probation. Modern death penalty statistics show that capital sentences for those aged 18 to 20 have become increasingly rare, with experts arguing Pike's case is an outlier. Governor Bill Lee refused to grant clemency, though Pike's attorneys have appealed to the Supreme Court.