Governor Lee, This Woman Should Not Be on Death Row

Ms. Laurenzi is a journalist and former investigator for death row appeals in Tennessee.

“Can I please hug my mom?” Christa Pike asked, sobbing, as a Tennessee judge declared that she would be sentenced to death for the murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer. Ms. Pike was 18 when she committed the crime. On Wednesday, Tennessee is set to execute her. If she is killed, Ms. Pike would be the only person Tennessee has executed in the modern era for a crime committed before age 21. Nobody that young should face the death penalty.

There is no question that Ms. Pike took part in a horrific crime. While attending a job training program in 1995, Ms. Pike and her........

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