Event
The 6th US Circuit Court of Appeals temporarily halted Tennessee’s planned execution of death row inmate Christa Pike, less than two hours before it was due to take place. The court is considering her argument that evidence of childhood sexual abuse was not properly weighed at sentencing. Tennessee officials asked the US Supreme Court to lift the stay.
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The 6th US Circuit Court of Appeals issued a temporary stay as it considers whether evidence of Christa Pike’s childhood sexual abuse was properly weighed at sentencing.
The court ordered a short stay to consider whether Pike’s claims of severe childhood sexual abuse were taken into account when she was sentenced to death for a 1995 killing.
Christa Pike was scheduled to die by lethal injection on 30 September after the US Supreme Court rejected a last-minute appeal. The supplied account does not confirm whether the execution occurred.
Background
The 6th US Circuit Court of Appeals temporarily halted Tennessee’s scheduled execution of Christa Pike on 30 September, less than two hours before it was due to take place. The court is considering whether evidence of Pike’s claimed childhood sexual abuse was properly weighed when she was sentenced to death for the 1995 killing of Colleen Slemmer, committed when Pike was 18. Tennessee officials asked the US Supreme Court to lift the stay. Pike’s lawyers have also cited bipolar disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder in seeking a reduced sentence; Governor Bill Lee rejected her clemency request. The supplied material does not confirm whether the Supreme Court acted or whether the execution occurred.
The 6th US Circuit Court of Appeals temporarily halted Tennessee’s scheduled execution of Christa Pike on 30 September, less than two hours before it was due to take place. The court is considering whether evidence of Pike’s claimed childhood sexual abuse was properly weighed whe
Fact cards
Key entities: Christa Pike, 6th US Circuit Court of Appeals, Tennessee, US Court of Appeals, Bill Lee.
What is the appeals court considering? Whether evidence of Pike’s claimed childhood sexual abuse was properly weighed at sentencing. Did the execution take place? The supplied material does not confirm the outcome. What did Tennessee ask the Supreme Court to do? Lift the appeals
Al Jazeera Global News | https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/30/us-appeals-court-halts-tennessee-execution-of-christa-pike | published 2026-09-30T16:44:16.000Z | primary source | Al Jazeera Global News | Reports the stay, the pending sentencing review, and Tennessee’s Supreme C
1995: Pike, then 18, killed Colleen Slemmer. 30 September 2026: Pike’s scheduled lethal-injection execution at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville was temporarily halted by the 6th Circuit, less than two hours before it was due. 30 September 2026: Tennessee offici
Timeline
Pike, then 18, killed Colleen Slemmer.
Pike’s scheduled lethal-injection execution at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville was temporarily halted by the 6th Circuit, less than two hours before it was due.
Tennessee officials asked the US Supreme Court to lift the stay.
FAQ
Whether evidence of Pike’s claimed childhood sexual abuse was properly weighed at sentencing.
The supplied material does not confirm the outcome.
Lift the appeals court’s stay.
If carried out, it would have been Tennessee’s first execution of a woman in more than 200 years and the state’s only modern-era execution for a crime committed by a teenager.
Whether Pike’s claims of severe childhood sexual abuse were considered during sentencing.
First-degree murder for killing Colleen Slemmer in 1995.
They reportedly argued lethal injection could cause pain and trauma and cited difficulty placing an IV.
No, according to the supplied material.
The supplied material reports a scheduled execution but does not confirm whether it occurred.