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181 days

to save Christa's life

Christa Pike is the only woman on Tennessee’s death row for a crime committed when she was an 18-year-old girl with untreated severe mental illness.

 

If her execution proceeds, Christa Pike will be the first woman put to death in the State of Tennessee in more than 200 years.

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MERCY  for CHRISTA PIKE

    There is no excuse for what I did. There are reasons for the way that I acted, but nothing excuses the crime and the damage it has caused to so many lives. 

- Christa Pike

KEY FACTS

YOUTH

When Christa received her sentence on March 30, 1996, she became the youngest woman to receive the death penalty in the United States in the modern era.

THE SENTENCE

Christa’s sentence is disproportionate to the other two defendants who were involved, one of whom did not serve time at all and the other who—just a few months younger than Christa—is eligible for parole in 2026.

SEVERE MENTAL ILLNESS

In addition to being born with a malformation of the brain and organic brain damage, Christa suffers from bipolar disorder and severe Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

THE TRIAL

Christa’s state appointed lawyers failed to present any mitigating evidence of her history of sexual violence and abuse to the jury, leaving the jurors with no reason to consider an alternative sentence to the death penalty.

TRAUMA

Christa experienced severe, repeated physical and sexual abuse and violence that began when she was in first grade.

IMPRISONMENT

As the only woman on death row in Tennessee, Christa has been held in solitary confinement for 27 years, which is exacerbating her underlying mental health issues.

10  REASONS
to SPARE CHRISTA'S LIFE

01

Christa is a survivor of childhood sexual abuse and rape.

By the time she was 18, Christa had survived multiple childhood rapes and sexual abuse.

02

Tennessee understands that child rape is one of the most horrific crimes that leaves an indelible mark on victims, yet it plans to execute a survivor of child rape who received no treatment or support.

The Tennessee legislature recently passed a bill authorizing the death penalty for child rape in recognition of its severe, lifelong consequences for victims.

03

Christa was 18 years old at the time of the crime for which she was sentenced to death. Tennessee has never executed anyone who was so young at the time of the offense.

Scientific research shows that Christa’s brain was still developing at the time of the crime.

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