What to know as Tennessee plans to execute first woman in 200 years

Tennessee is set to execute Christa Pike, a woman who became the first woman to face the death penalty in the state in more than 200 years. The execution of 50-year-old Pike is scheduled for Wednesday, following her conviction for the 1995 murder of her 19-year-old classmate, Colleen Slemmer. Pike, then 18, lured Slemmer to an isolated location near the University of Tennessee with two other teenagers, allegedly believing Slemmer to be a romantic rival.

The brutal murder, which included carving a pentagram into Slemmer's body, garnered significant attention. Pike has spent over three decades on Tennessee's death row and expressed her readiness to face execution, stating she was more nervous about the process than the act itself. Her lawyers have argued that she endured years of severe abuse and was later diagnosed with bipolar disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder, and that the jury did not receive crucial evidence about her childhood during her trial.

Despite this, Governor Bill Lee declined to grant clemency, allowing the death sentence to stand. Pike's spiritual adviser, a Buddhist teacher, is expected to be present in the execution chamber, believing that Pike has changed during her decades in prison. If the execution proceeds, Pike will become the first woman to be executed in Tennessee since 1820, a rare occurrence given that only 18 women have been executed nationwide since 1976.