US appeals court halts Tennessee execution of Christa Pike an hour before scheduled time

September 30, 2026 at 07:33 PM2 min

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A US appeals court halted the execution of Tennessee death row inmate Christa Pike an hour before it was due to take place. The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals said it needed more time to consider arguments in Pike's challenge to the state's lethal injection method. The stay came after the Supreme Court denied a reprieve and Governor Bill Lee declined clemency earlier this week.

Key Facts

Christa Pike, 50, has been on death row since her 1996 conviction for the murder of Colleen Slemmer.
The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals issued the stay on Wednesday, saying it needed more time to consider arguments in Pike's case.
Pike's legal team argued that Tennessee's lethal injection method could cause suffering beyond what is constitutionally permissible.
Tennessee Attorney General said the state will ask the Supreme Court to lift the stay.

The Stay

The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals halted the execution of Christa Pike an hour before it was scheduled to take place. Judges said they needed more time to consider the arguments in Pike's case. The stay came after the Supreme Court denied a reprieve and Governor Bill Lee declined clemency earlier this week. Tennessee Attorney General said the state will ask the Supreme Court to lift the stay.

Lethal Injection Challenge

Pike's appeal that led to Wednesday's stay challenged Tennessee's lethal injection method. Her lawyers argued the procedure could cause suffering beyond what is needed to carry out the death sentence, which the Constitution does not allow. They also argued that Tennessee's procedures denied Pike a fair chance to prove this. The appeal was different from the one made to the Supreme Court, which refused to hear Pike's case.

The Crime

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 1995 murder created a media frenzy in Knoxville, Tennessee, when the teen was found with a pentagram carved into her chest. Pike has denied carving the pentagram herself. Two other residents at the camp later testified that Pike had bragged about the murder and showed them a piece of Slemmer's skull.