Christa Pike, a 50-year-old Tennessee woman convicted of murder, has been granted a temporary reprieve from execution by the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. The court issued a stay "until further notice" on Wednesday morning, pending the resolution of motions filed by Pike's attorneys and the Tennessee Attorney General's Office.
The stay was issued in a 2-1 split decision, with the court weighing the arguments presented by both sides. The state of Tennessee has already appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, seeking to have the stay lifted. If the Supreme Court intervenes, it could potentially allow the execution to proceed.
Pike was convicted of participating in the brutal murder of her 19-year-old classmate, Colleen Slemmer, in 1995. According to court documents, Pike and her accomplices beat, kicked, and stabbed Slemmer, who was killed in what was described as a "satanic" attack. Pike claimed that the attack lasted between 30 minutes and an hour.
Pike's supporters have argued that her defense team did not adequately present mitigating factors during her sentencing, including untreated bipolar disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder stemming from repeated domestic violence and sexual assaults. A petition to Governor Bill Lee to commute her death sentence to life in prison had garnered nearly 25,000 signatures.
The temporary stay is in place while the court considers the motions, but it is unclear at this time whether the execution will ultimately proceed.
NTC Report coverage is based on reporting from the original publisher.
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