Christa Pike, who is scheduled to be executed for a 1995 murder she committed at the age of 18, has asked Tennessee authorities to assign an exclusively female prison team to handle her execution.
Pike, 50, has spent decades on death row following her conviction for the murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer, a fellow resident at a Job Corps centre in Knoxville.
Court records show that Pike targeted Slemmer after believing she was romantically interested in her boyfriend.
Pike and her boyfriend lured Slemmer into a wooded area, where prosecutors said they attacked her with a sharp object and pieces of rock.
Pike’s lawyers have argued that allowing male correctional officers to restrain or handle her during the execution would cause severe psychological distress.
They cited her history of childhood sexual abuse, domestic violence and neglect, arguing that forced physical contact with male officers during her final hours would amount to cruel and unusual punishment under the Eighth Amendment.
Her lawyers have also filed a separate motion asking the state to use hanging instead of lethal injection if her execution goes ahead.
Tennessee prison officials have said female staff will oversee Pike’s transfer to the state’s death chamber. However, officials have not committed to having an all-female team involved throughout the entire execution process.
Pike’s lawyers are also pursuing clemency, citing her history of psychiatric diagnoses, including bipolar disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder.
They have further pointed to research on adolescent brain development, arguing that a jury presented with the full circumstances of Pike’s childhood, mental health and development today might reach a different decision.
Pike was 18 when Slemmer was killed in 1995. She was later convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death.
Slemmer’s family has continued to support the execution, saying they want the sentence carried out after decades of waiting for finality.
Pike is scheduled to be executed on September 30, 202