How many women are on Pennsylvania’s death row — and how many have been executed?
SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY, Pa. —
Women account for a small fraction of death sentences in the United States, with 45 women currently on death row nationwide, according to an analysis by the Get the Facts Data Team.
Since the modern death penalty era began in 1977, 18 women have been executed in the U.S., representing about 1% of all executions during that period. Men account for the other 1,664 executions, according to the findings.
California has the largest female death row population, with 17 women awaiting execution. However, Gov. Gavin Newsom imposed a moratorium on executions in 2019.
The analysis comes as Tennessee prepares for the Sept. 30 execution of Christa Pike, who was sentenced to death for killing 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer in 1995, when Pike was 18. Her attorneys have requested clemency, citing her age at the time of the crime and allegations that jurors were not told about the extensive sexual abuse she experienced as a child.
Pennsylvania’s death row
In Pennsylvania, there are currently no women on death row.
Although the Commonwealth has executed two women in its history, neither execution occurred during the modern death penalty era.
Susquehanna Valley death sentence
Carolyn King of Lebanon was the most recent woman from the Susquehanna Valley to receive a death sentence.
King was sentenced to death in 1994 for the murder of 74-year-old Guy Goodman, but her sentence was later reduced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.