NEW YORK: The first openly transgender woman is set to be executed in the US unless she receives a pardon.

Amber McLaughlin, 49, is scheduled to die by lethal injection in the state of Missouri on Tuesday, reported Anadolu Agency citing the Associated Press.

In 2003, then known as Scott McLaughlin, she raped and stabbed a former girlfriend to death and dumped her body in St. Louis near the Mississippi River.

Her lawyer, Larry Komp, has petitioned Missouri Governor Mike Parson for clemency.

McLaughlin, who transitioned in prison, experienced a traumatic childhood and mental health issues and has attempted suicide several times, according to the clemency petition.

-- BERNAMA