Christa Pike, the only woman on Tennessee's death row, wrote to NBC News that she is "not afraid to die." Gov. Bill Lee has declined to intervene in her last-ditch bid for clemency.
Pike is the first woman sentenced to death in Tennessee in 200 years. Her execution is scheduled for September 30, per the New York Post, which reported Lee's decision on September 29. The governor's move effectively exhausted her remaining options for reprieve.
In her letter to NBC News, Pike wrote: "I am not afraid to die. I'm only nervous about the process."
I am not afraid to die.
She also told the network: "Whether my clemency is granted or not, I am at peace." The New York Post reported that Pike wrote those words before learning Lee would deny clemency.
The case has drawn national attention due to the rarity of executing women in the United States. The New York Post characterized Pike as a convicted murderer who appeared remotely from Deborah K. Johnson Rehabilitation for a hearing in Knox County Criminal Court.
With Lee's denial final, the execution is set to proceed September 30.