Tennessee halts plan to execute woman for first time in 200 years

Pike was convicted and sentenced to death in 1996 for the murder of Colleen Slemmer. Image source, Tennessee Department of Corrections Image caption, If the execution proceeds, Christa Pike would be the first woman to be executed in Tennessee in more than 200 years By Stephanie Hegarty and Grace Eliza Goodwin Published 30 September 2026, 15:33 BST Updated 2 minutes ago The execution of Tennessee inmate Christa Pike has been halted an hour before it was due to happen. Pike, 50, has been awaiting execution since she was convicted and sentenced to death in 1996 for the murder of Colleen Slemmer.

In their ruling on Wednesday, judges from the Sixth Circuit Appeals court said they needed more time to consider the arguments in Pike's case. It is unclear how long the pause will last. This latest ruling comes after the US Supreme Court denied a reprieve and the Tennessee governor declined to grant Pike's request for clemency earlier this week.

Her lawyers said that for years, the state of Tennessee argued in court that Pike had lied about being sexually abused as a child. But at a recent hearing about her execution method, the State said it does not dispute she suffered sexual abuse and rape. Pike's legal team asked the appeals court to send her motion back to the district court, arguing that if the federal courts based their ruling on the state's earlier claim that she was lying, then the federal review was affected.

Pike was 18 when she and her then-boyfriend beat, tortured and murdered Colleen Slemmer, a 19-year-old they met at a job training camp for troubled teens. The murder created a media frenzy in Knoxville, Tennessee in 1995, when the teen was found with a pentagram – a symbol that is associated with satanic groups – carved into her chest. Pike has denied carving the pentagram herself.

State governor and supreme court earlier refused calls for clemency for Christa Pike, who was convicted of murder Tennessee ’s first execution of a woman in 200 years was halted by a court on Wednesday morning an hour before it was set to take place. The state governor and the supreme court had earlier refused calls for clemency in the case of Christa Pike, who was convicted of murder 30 years ago.

Continue reading… Christa Pike entering a Knox county criminal court in Knoxville, Tennessee, on 4 December 2007.

Photograph: J Miles Cary/Reuters View image in fullscreen Christa Pike entering a Knox county criminal court in Knoxville, Tennessee, on 4 December 2007. She was set to die by lethal injection at 11am ET on Wednesday but the execution has been halted by a federal appeals court.

Pike, who is now 50, was 18 when she and her boyfriend, who was 17 at the time, killed 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer, one of their classmates at Knoxville Job Corps in 1995. The Associated Press contributed reporting.

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She had accused Slemmer of insulting her and trying to steal her boyfriend. Two other residents at the camp later testified that Pike had bragged about the murder before and after, and showed them a piece of Slemmer's skull.

Her attorneys have argued that "an 18-year-old brain is not an adult brain" and that Pike was too young at the time of the murder to be sentenced to death for it. At the time of her incarceration, Pike was the youngest person on death row, according to the Tennessee Department of Corrections.

Related topics United States More on this story US Supreme Court denies Christa Pike's last-ditch bid to halt execution Published 15 hours ago US Supreme Court denies Christa Pike's last-ditch bid to halt execution Published 15 hours ago Killer Christa Pike to be executed within days – but her defence say she's a victim too Published 3 days ago.

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