Execution of first woman in Tennessee for 200 years halted at last moment

The execution of a Tennessee woman on death row since 1995 has been called off at the last moment.

A federal appeals court put a stop to the execution of Christa Pike about an hour before it was set to begin Wednesday.

The judges said they want to review whether her allegations of sexual abuse and rape as a child were fully considered before she was sentenced to death.

Now 50, she was convicted of a 1995 murder she committed at age 18. This would have been the state’s first execution of a woman in at least 200 years.

It wasn’t immediately clear if Tennessee’s attorney general was appealing the decision or how long the execution might be delayed.

Death row inmate Christa Pike, held at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution (RMSI) in Tennessee and convicted of murdering a schoolmate three decades ago, who is due to be executed by lethal injection on September 30, 2026 is shown in this 2023 Tennessee Department of Correction booking photograph. Tennessee Department of Correction/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. QUALITY FROM SOURCE.

Execution witnesses had already gathered at the Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville when the order came down at around 9am local time.

This is a breaking news story… More to follow…

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Original source Execution of first woman in Tennessee for 200 years halted at last moment

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