Tennessee halts plan to execute woman for first time in 200 years
State governor and supreme court earlier refused calls for clemency for Christa Pike, who was convicted of murder
TL;DR
- Tennessee's scheduled execution of Christa Pike, the first woman in 200 years, was halted by a federal appeals court.
- The execution was scheduled for Wednesday morning but was stayed by a 2-1 court majority.
- Governor Bill Lee and the state supreme court had previously refused clemency requests for Pike.
- Pike was convicted of murder 30 years ago for the 1995 killing of Colleen Slemmer.
- Pike and her boyfriend Tadaryl Shipp, both teenagers at the time, lured and brutally murdered Slemmer.
- Pike's attorney stated the court recognized serious concerns about the execution.
- The state attorney general's office plans to ask the U.S. Supreme Court to lift the stay.