US Tennessee’s first execution of a woman in 200 years halted
A US appeal court on Wednesday halted the execution of death row inmate Christa Pike in Tennessee, less than two hours before she was scheduled to become the first woman that state has put to death in more than 200 years. The 6th US Circuit Court of Appeals ordered a “short stay of execution” to give it time to weigh Pike’s claim that her allegations of childhood sexual abuse were not adequately…
On Wednesday, a US appeals court temporarily halted the execution of Christa Pike, a death row inmate in Tennessee, to consider her claim that her childhood sexual abuse allegations were not adequately addressed during her sentencing. The 6th US Circuit Court of Appeals issued a brief suspension, though it did not specify a timeframe.
Pike, who would be the only woman in modern US history to face execution for a crime committed as a teenager, was denied clemency by Governor Bill Lee. The Tennessee attorney general's office promptly requested a stay from the US Supreme Court, which denied the request, allowing the execution to proceed at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville.
At 50, Pike was 18 when she and her 17-year-old boyfriend and companion lured and killed 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer in 1995. The brutal murder, which involved pentagram carving and the removal of a skull fragment as a keepsake, garnered significant media attention. Pike and her co-defendants were convicted and sentenced in the following year.
Currently, Pike is the sole woman on Tennessee's death row, and she was also convicted in 2001 of attempting to murder another inmate.
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- Appeals court halts execution of Tennessee woman less than two hours before lethal injection france24.com
- Court halts execution of Christa Gail Pike for a Tennessee murder she committed at age 18 pbs.org
- US appeals court pauses execution of Tennessee killer Christa Pike abc.net.au
- Court halts Tennessee’s first execution of a woman in 200 years globalnews.ca
