Christa Pike go be di first woman wey dem go execute for Tennessee in 200 years - but her defence say she be victim too

Di last time Ashlee Sellars hear from her friend Christa Pike na early dis week, wen Pike bin text her from her cell on death row as she bin dey prepare make di US State of Tennessee kpai her wit lethal injection.

Pike bin tell Sellars say she bin no want any of her loved ones to dey present on Wednesday wen dem go execute her.

"She no want us to experience am," Sellars tok.

Sellars bin find am hard to reconcile dis woman, wey she only sabi as kind and protective, wit di pesin wey commit serious crime 31 years ago.

Pike, wey dey 50 years now, bin dey 18 wen she and her boyfriend dat time, Tadaryl Shipp, beat, torture and murder Colleen Slemmer, one 19-year-old wey dem bin meet for job training camp for teens wey dey troubled.

Di murder bin create media tok-tok for Knoxville, Tennessee for 1995 wen dem bin find Colleen wit pentagram, wey be symbol of Satanic ritual, wey she bin carve for her chest.

Pike bin accuse Colleen say e insult her and bin try to tiff her boyfriend. Two oda residents for di camp bin later testify say Pike bin brag about di murder bifor and afta and e bin show dem piece of Colleen skull.

One year later dem sentence her to death, while Shipp - wey bin dey 17 years dat time - bin get life sentence wit di possibility of parole.

Now, afta years of failed appeals, dem set di date wey dem go execute Pike for Wednesday. If e happun, she go be di first woman wey dem go kpai for Tennessee in more dan 200 years. Na only 18 women dem don execute for di US since di 1970s, compared to 1,663 men.

Colleen mama don tok say she want Pike execution to happun so dat her daughter "fit finally rest".

But Pike lawyers, wey file di 226-page clemency petition, still dey hope for last-minute withdrawal, and UN human rights experts don also tok say make dem stop di execution.

Pike bin get documented history of childhood sexual abuse, abandonment and neglect. Her lawyers beliv say if dem find her found guilty of di same crime today as teenager she no go receive death sentence.

For di years since dem bin sentence her, her defence team don uncover details about her childhood wey dem tok say di jury bin neva get di chance to consider.

"E dey mind-boggling say dem bin no present any of her history of abuse and rape, even though dm bin know about am," na wetin Sandra Babcock, wey be expert for gender and di death penalty for Cornell Law School, wey bin work on Pike defence tok.

"Her case dey so uniquely compelling, no be only becos of her really incomprehensible history of sexual violence but di combination of say wit her youth and her mental illness."

For 1995, forensic psychologist Dr Diana McCoy wey Pike defence team bin hire find out say she bin dey severely neglected by both of her parents. McCoy report find out say plenti of her mother bin physically and sexually abuse Pike and dem rape her plenti times, once wen she bin dey 11 and again wen she bin dey 17. Later dem discover say dem bin repeatedly rape her as toddler by her grandmother boyfriend. McCoy tok say Pike mother no beliv her say dis rapes bin happun.

But Pike trial lawyer no put McCoy for di stand or call many of di witnesses wey she bin recommend. Dis details comeout more dan ten years later for di court hearing wey bin dey review her case, wen new team of lawyers bin claim say di assistance of counsel dey ineffective di claim wey di judge bin deny.

For 2021 dem bin diagnose Pike wit bipolar disorder for prison and she bin dey on medication since.

Later, anoda forensic psychologist wey bin dey work for Pike defence, Dr Bethany Brand, wey bin assess Pike for 2023, bin tok say her case dey extremely rare becos plenti pipo wey suppose protect her bin abuse her.

"Her childhood bin dey down wit physical, sexual, and emotional abuse. She bin dey sexually violated by plenti number of men, wey start bifor she reach school age," im tok.

Brand say Pike bin get untreated manic episodes due to bipolar disorder and untreated PTSD. "Di two of dos tins togeda absolutely influence how threatened she bin feel by di girl wey she kill at di end and her lack of emotional control for dat situation."

Babcock add: "If dem allow her to dey executed, den e dey tell us say di death penalty for dis kontri na just joke. No be for di worst of di worst. Na for di pipo wey receive di worst legal representation and wey be di most damaged and vulnerable."

'Make she pay for am'

Last year, Tennessee Supreme Court bin rule say Pike bin no show circumstances wey go justify commuting her sentence. Her appeals process don finish and dem don set date for her execution.

Federal appeals court bin don earlier rule say di jury bin don already hear about her difficult childhood during testimony from her mother, father, and aunt during her trial. And di new evidence of bipolar disorder, PTSD, and brain damage dey"mostly repeat" wetin di jury bin heard and e for no change di verdict.

Di row get some parallels wit di high-profile case of murderer Lisa Montgomery, wey her lawyers also argued say she be mentally ill victim of abuse wey deserve mercy.

Montgomery legal challenges bin fail to commute her sentence, and dem bin suppose executed her wit lrthal injection for Indiana for 2021.

Unless di Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, grant her clemency, dem go execute Pike on 30 September. Dat decision fit no come until di last moment, and Lee neva neva grant clemency to anybody wey dey death penalty case bifor.

Di Tennessee Supreme Court dis week bin deny Pike request to stop di execution. Her counsel say dem bin don dey discuss next steps.

On her execution day, Pike bin request all-female team. She say todey hold down by group of men go make her trauma situation worse. Di state of Tennessee don tok say di goal be say na female guards go transfer Pike go prison wia dem go execute but dem neva guarantee am.

Colleen mother May Martinez support di execution of Christa.

"She commit di crime. I tink she gatz pay for am," she tok for Knoxville TV station WBIR for 2021, and bin tell di BBC dis week she still stands by her comments.

Pike supose suffer bifor she die, Martinez tell WBIR. "I go feel beta say she feel di same pain wey Colleen bin feel."

"My heart dey break evri single day becos I dey relive am and relive am, and I no go fit again, and I want dis to happen bifor I die," she add.

"No day dey pass wey I no dey tink about Colleen or how she die and how rough e be. I just want Christa down so I fit end am, relieve my daughter, so she go finally rest."

Di Justice Coalition, wey be victims rights advocacy group, bin raise money to help Martinez travel go Tennessee to watch di execution.

Di group executive director, Robert Bracewell, bin say dis sentence bin dey determined by jury of Pike peers and na wetin Colleen family want.

"We stand firm wit di family say on 30 September her execution suppose to proceed."

Ashlee Sellars dey struggle wit two beliefs wey be like say dem dey conflict eachoda: say Colleen mother get di right to feel say dem don serve justice and make evribody, including her friend Christa, deserve chance to redemption.

"Wen I tink about reconciling who you see on TV or di horrible tragedy wey happun wit Colleen, di only tin wey makes sense to me na around mental health and trauma and di way pipo process stuff for moment wen dem no get di tins wey dem need," Sellars tok.

"Dis horrible tins happun for your youth and den dis trauma move through you, for our community, and you cause harm to somebody else."

Sellars bin meet Pike for prison wen she bin dey serve 25-year sentence for her involvement for robbery-murder. Dem bin tok to each other through di meal flaps for dia doors for di high security unit. Now, Sellars dey work as an advocate for justice reform and victims of crime.

"People want know say evribody life mata, right? Dem wan know say Colleen life mata," she tok.

"Christa for dis moment, I tink she dey fight much more for her life to mata dan she be to actually live."