Pike's case puts a spotlight on how rare death sentences and executions are for women nationwide. Since the modern death penalty era began in 1977, only 18 women have been executed in the entire country, according to WESH. Women make up just 1% of all executions during that stretch, compared to men, who account for the other 99%.
The most recent woman executed before Pike was Amber McLaughlin, a transgender woman put to death in Missouri in 2023 for killing her ex-girlfriend in 2003.
Pike's scheduled execution reopens a question that's followed the death penalty system for decades. Why do prosecutors and juries send women to death row so rarely, and why do even fewer end up executed? The disparity isn't new, but a 200-year gap in one state puts a sharper point on it.
For families connected to Pike's case, and for death penalty watchers across the country, Wednesday's execution will be a rare event in a system that almost never applies its harshest punishment to women.