'I'm So Scared': Death Row Inmate Christa Pike Admits to 'Horrible Nightmares' About Facing 'Painful' Execution Within Days
Christa Pike is set to be executed by lethal injection on Sept. 30.
Sept. 28 2026, Published 6:22 p.m. ET
The governor of Tennessee announced he does not intend to stop the state's first scheduled execution of a woman in more than 200 years, RadarOnline.com can report.
With time running out before Christa Pike receives a lethal injection on Wednesday, the convicted killer has shared her remorse while revealing her fears of a "painful" death.
Christa Pike's Last Chance
Pike was convicted of the 1995 murder of a classmate.
Pike is set to be executed for the brutal 1995 murder of a 19-year-old Job Corps classmate in Knoxville. Now 50, Pike is the only woman on Tennessee's death row, and she has been open about her fears as the date approaches.
"I have the most horrible nightmares," she says in the new documentary Dead Woman Walking: Pike Vs Tennessee. "But I think what has been worse is that they told me a year ahead of time. And so every day, I have woken up and lived that thought all day, every day, every waking moment."
Her attorneys have made one last-ditch effort to save her life by challenging Tennessee's lethal injection protocol, citing a rare blood disorder that could complicate IV placement and lead to a "prolonged and agonizing" death for Pike.
There is precedent for their argument. In May, the execution of murderer Tony Carruthers was postponed after officials could not establish the required IV access, which her lawyer has argued should be justification to postpone or change Pike's fate.
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee Will Not Intervene
She is the only woman on Tennessee's death row.
But on Monday, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee denied clemency for Pike, saying in a statement, “After deliberate consideration of Christa Gail Pike's request for clemency, and after a thorough review of the case, I am upholding the sentence of the State of Tennessee and do not plan to intervene."
The decision was met with obvious disappointment from Pike's attorneys, who issued their own statement saying, "We are deeply saddened and heartbroken by Governor Lee’s decision to deny clemency for Christa Pike."
"Moving ahead with her execution puts the State of Tennessee on singular footing: Christa will be the first person Tennessee executes in the modern death penalty era who was a teenager at the time of the offense and the first woman executed by the state in more than 200 years."
Christa Pike Wants an All-Female Execution Squad
She claims she was abused by men as a teen.
As the lethal injection execution draws closer, her lawyer is begging for an all-women team to carry it out, arguing that Pike has post-traumatic stress disorder from abuse she suffered at the hands of men as a young girl, including when she was just two years old.
"Throughout her childhood, Christa was failed by people and institutions that should have shown her care and meaningful intervention. Instead, her childhood was marked by repeated, documented r-pe and sexual abuse, neglect, and violence," her attorney relayed.
Christa Pike's Final Emotional Appeal
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Governor Bill Lee has said he will not intervene.
Pike has tried to convince the state of her sorrow for the murder, saying in her documentary, "I've always felt bad for her mother, that I took someone's child, someone's sister, someone’s friend away."
Her attorneys backed up her emotional appeal.
"The 18-year-old girl suffering from severe mental illness and near-debilitating trauma no longer exists," they said in their statement. "Christa is a 50-year-old remorseful woman who understands her actions, receives proper treatment for her mental illness, and provides for and guides fellow incarcerated women."
"With this decision, the State of Tennessee is ignoring what both science and our legal system have decided: an 18-year-old brain is not an adult brain, and 18 is too young to face execution. This decision also leaves unanswered vital questions about Tennessee’s execution protocol," the statement added. "We will continue to support Christa through every remaining avenue and advocate for a system that is transparent for the people of Tennessee."
