Tennessee Woman Faces Execution as Lawyers Seek Clemency Over 1995 Killing

A woman identified as Pike faces becoming the first woman executed in the US state of Tennessee in 200 years, as her lawyers argue that she deserves clemency.

Pike killed a fellow female student in 1995 and was sentenced to death. Her legal team is challenging whether that punishment should now be carried out.

Her lawyers describe Pike as a victim herself. The summary of their appeal, however, does not specify the circumstances behind that claim.

They also contend that she would not have received a death sentence had the crime occurred today. Their argument places the difference between her original sentencing and how the case might be treated now at the centre of their clemency plea.