The Tennessee Supreme Court has scheduled execution dates for four inmates, including Christa Pike, the only woman on the state’s death row.
Pike, sentenced at 18 for the 1995 torture murder of Colleen Slemmer, has sought clemency citing her youth and severe mental illness.
Her lawyers say she has shown remorse and growth while incarcerated.
The other scheduled executions include Tony Carruthers, convicted of a 1994 triple murder in Memphis; Gary Sutton, sentenced for the 1992 killing of Tommy Griffin, though his attorneys argue evidence against him was flawed; and Anthony Hines, convicted in the 1985 stabbing of a motel maid.
The new execution dates come as Tennessee resumes capital punishment after a pause triggered by failures to properly test lethal injection drugs, raising concerns about botched executions, NBC News has reported.
Attorneys for inmates argue the state still has not addressed transparency or safety issues.
Other inmates, including Harold Nichols and Donald Middlebrooks, also face pending or stayed executions.
