Christa Pike’s Tennessee execution halted by court an hour before it was scheduled

How Christa Pike’s botched Tennessee execution unfolded, minute by minute

The convicted murderer would have been the first woman executed in the state in more than 200 years, but she survived two doses of a lethal drug that had been administered and is now in hospital in a critical condition,

Oct 2, 2026

US Supreme Court clears way for Christa Pike’s execution in Tennessee

Top court's decision overturns last-minute stay that stalled Tennessee's first execution of a woman in 200 years.

Oct 1, 2026

US appeals court halts Tennessee execution of Christa Pike

Christa Pike was set to become the first woman executed by Tennessee in more than 200 years.

Sep 30, 2026

Christa Pike: Timeline of botched Tennessee execution

The state of Tennessee failed to put Christa Pike to death Wednesday after two doses of a lethal drug were administered following a stay granted by a lower court before the Supreme Court allowed the execution to proceed.

Oct 1, 2026

Christa Pike’s failed execution follows another in Tennessee this year

In May, officials called off the lethal injection of Tony Carruthers, after failing to place an IV.

Oct 1, 2026

US Supreme Court allows execution of Christa Pike to go ahead

The death by lethal injection was scheduled to happen earlier on Wednesday before judges from a lower court paused the execution.

Sep 30, 2026

Supreme Court allows execution of Christa Pike to go forward

The Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled that Tennessee can put Christa Pike to death, lifting an eleventh-hour appeals court ruling that had paused the execution. The court’s decision clears the way for the state’s first execution of a woman in more than 200 years. It came over the dissent of the three liberal justices. Pike,…

Sep 30, 2026

US appeals court pauses execution of Tennessee killer Christa Pike

The execution, which was halted an hour before it was scheduled to go ahead, would have been the first time a woman had been subjected to the death penalty in more than 200 years.

Sep 30, 2026

Tennessee inmate Christa Pike's execution halted an hour beforehand

Death row inmate Christa Pike got a last-minute reprieve Wednesday when a federal appeals court stopped her execution about an hour before it was set to take place in Nashville. The latest: The court ordered "a short stay of execution" just before 9am CDT so it could consider an ongoing legal battle between Pike's attorneys and the state. Pike's attorneys argue her history of child sexual abuse wasn't presented to the jury before she was sentenced to death in 1996. Between the lines: The order s

Sep 30, 2026

Execution of US murderer Christa Pike halted an hour before it was due to happen

Pike was convicted and sentenced to death in 1996 for the murder of Colleen Slemmer.

Sep 30, 2026

Tennessee governor rejects clemency bid for Christa Pike as execution looms

If the execution proceeds, Pike would be the first woman executed in Tennessee in more than 200 years.

Sep 28, 2026

Christa Pike thought her arm would ‘burst open’ during botched Tennessee execution: court docs

The execution drug, pentobarbital, is a caustic, highly alkaline chemical that burns human flesh, tissue and veins on contact, akin to household chemicals like "bleach" or "Drano," Pike’s experts say.

Oct 3, 2026

Supreme Court allows execution of Tennessee inmate Christa Pike to proceed

The Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed the execution of Tennessee inmate Christa Pike to move forward after it was halted hours earlier by a federal appeals court. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit stayed Pike’s execution in the eleventh hour, as judges said they want to review whether her allegations of sexual […]

Oct 1, 2026

Supreme Court clears the way for Christa Pike’s historic execution in Tennessee to move forward

The US Supreme Court overturned a stay on Wednesday that was granted just hours before she was set to die by lethal injection.

Sep 30, 2026

Christa Pike’s Tennessee execution halted by court an hour before it was scheduled

A federal appeals court halted the planned execution of Christa Pike, 50, in Tennessee on Wednesday an hour before it was scheduled to take place. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit stayed the execution until further notice. The judges said they want to review whether her allegations of sexual abuse and rape […]

Sep 30, 2026

Court halts execution of Christa Gail Pike in Tennessee for a murder she committed at age 18

A federal appeals court halted the execution in Tennessee of Christa Pike about an hour before it was set to begin Wednesday.

Sep 30, 2026