Supreme Court Allows Execution of Christa Pike, First Woman in Tennessee in 200 Years
The nation's highest court overturned a last-minute stay of execution for Christa Pike, who has been on death row since 1996.
The U.S. Supreme Court has cleared the way for the execution of Christa Pike, a Tennessee inmate, by overturning a last-minute reprieve.
Pike's execution by lethal injection had been scheduled for Wednesday before judges from the Sixth Circuit Appeals Court halted it. Tennessee's attorney general then immediately requested the Supreme Court to overrule the stay.
Pike, 50, has been awaiting execution since her conviction and sentencing for the murder of Colleen Slemmer in 1996. If the execution proceeds, she will be the first woman executed in Tennessee in more than 200 years.
Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh granted the application to vacate the stay of execution. The order did not provide an explanation for lifting the stay. It was not immediately clear when the execution would take place.