Tennessee schedules execution of death sentence for Krista Pike

According to TASS, Tennessee judicial authorities have ordered the death sentence for Krista Pike to be carried out.

If the execution takes place on September 30, it will be the first time a woman has been executed in the state since 1820. According to the network, since 1976, 18 women have been executed in the United States, or about 1% of the total number of executions.

Pike was 18 years old when, in 1995, she and her companion were found guilty of murdering 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer, who studied with her at the same school. According to the prosecution, Pike feared that Slemmer was interested in her boyfriend, so she lured her to an isolated place, where she and her companion tortured and killed the girl.

This case drew widespread attention because of the brutality of the murder, the age of those involved, and the fact that a satanic symbol was carved into the victim's body. Pike does not deny her guilt; however, her lawyers and supporters believe the death penalty is an inappropriate punishment for a crime committed in adolescence by a person who suffered from mental illness and experienced severe sexual abuse in childhood. On September 28, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee announced that he would not grant the clemency request, and the execution date remained unchanged — September 30.