Federal Appeals Court Halts Execution Of Tennessee's Only Woman On Death Row
On Wednesday, September 30, 2026, the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals halted Christa Gail Pike's execution about an hour before it was to begin at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville.[1]
Pike's lawyers had mounted a last-minute appeal saying her original defense failed to present years of childhood sexual abuse and neglect.[2] The 6th Circuit voted 2-1 for the stay.[1] The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, had declined to block the execution, and Governor Bill Lee denied clemency that would have left Pike to serve life in prison.[2] Tennessee's attorney general immediately appealed the 6th Circuit stay to the U.S. Supreme Court.[1] Witnesses and media remained at Riverbend in case the high court allowed the execution to proceed.[1]
On January 12, 1995, Pike and a boyfriend were involved in the stabbing and beating murder of 19-year-old classmate Colleen Slemmer at a Knoxville job-training facility.[1] The case drew attention for a pentagram carved into Slemmer's body amid 1990s "satanic panic" fears.[1] Pike was 18 at the time and received the death sentence, while co-defendant Tadaryl Shipp, then 17, was sentenced to life with the possibility of parole.[1]
Pike's supporters had urged clemency by pointing to diagnoses of bipolar disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder and to allegations of severe childhood sexual abuse and rape.[1] Victim's mother May Martinez traveled from Florida and said she had waited decades for the sentence to be carried out.[1] Had the execution proceeded, Pike would have been the first woman executed in Tennessee in more than 200 years and would have been the 30th person executed in the U.S. in 2026.[1]
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📌 Key Facts
- On Wednesday, September 30, 2026, the 6th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals voted 2–1 to halt Christa Gail Pike’s execution about an hour before it was scheduled to begin at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville, 6th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals.
- The stay followed a last‑minute campaign by Christa Pike’s lawyers arguing her original defense failed to present her history of childhood sexual abuse and neglect.
- The intervention came after the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, declined to block the execution and after Gov. Bill Lee denied clemency that would have allowed Pike to serve life in prison.
- Pike, now 50, was convicted in the January 12, 1995 stabbing and beating murder of 19‑year‑old classmate Colleen Slemmer at a Knoxville job‑training facility; the case drew attention for a pentagram carved into Slemmer’s body amid 1990s “satanic panic,” and co‑defendant Tadaryl Shipp (then 17) received life with the possibility of parole while Pike (then 18) was sentenced to death.
- Supporters’ clemency arguments emphasized Pike’s diagnoses of bipolar disorder and post‑traumatic stress disorder and her allegations of severe childhood sexual abuse and rape beginning in early childhood.
- Victim’s mother May Martinez traveled from Florida to witness the execution and told the Associated Press she had waited decades for the sentence to be carried out.
- If carried out, Pike would have been the first woman executed in Tennessee in more than 200 years and the 30th person executed in the U.S. in 2026; nationally women account for about 1% of executions since 1976, with 18 women put to death, per the Death Penalty Information Center.
- Tennessee’s attorney general immediately appealed the 6th Circuit stay to the U.S. Supreme Court, and witnesses and media remained at Riverbend in case the high court allowed the execution to proceed.
📰 Source Timeline (4)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- On Wednesday, September 30, 2026, the 6th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals voted 2-1 to halt Christa Gail Pike’s execution about an hour before it was scheduled to begin at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville.
- Tennessee’s attorney general immediately appealed the 6th Circuit stay to the U.S. Supreme Court, and witnesses and media remained at the prison in case the high court allowed the execution to proceed.
- Pike, now 50, and her boyfriend were convicted of the January 12, 1995 stabbing and beating murder of 19-year-old classmate Colleen Slemmer at a Knoxville job training facility; the case drew attention for a pentagram carved into Slemmer’s body amid 1990s "satanic panic" fears.
- Co-defendant Tadaryl Shipp was 17 at the time of the crime and received life with the possibility of parole, while Pike, who was 18, was the only participant sentenced to death.
- Supporters’ clemency arguments emphasized Pike’s diagnoses of bipolar disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder and her allegations of severe childhood sexual abuse and rape beginning in early childhood.
- Victim’s mother May Martinez traveled from Florida to witness the execution and told the Associated Press she has waited decades for the sentence to be carried out, stressing her daughter’s young age as well.
- Robin M. Maher of the Death Penalty Information Center noted that Tennessee has not executed a woman in at least 200 years and that, nationally, women account for about 1% of executions since 1976, with 18 women put to death.
- If carried out, Pike would have been the 30th person executed in the U.S. in 2026; the article notes Florida carried out its 16th execution of the year on Tuesday.
- Axios reports that on Wednesday, September 30, 2026, a federal appeals court halted Christa Pike's execution about an hour before it was scheduled to occur.
- The article specifies that the execution was stayed extremely close to the planned time, underscoring the last-minute nature of the appellate intervention.
- On Wednesday, September 30, 2026, a federal court ordered a pause on Christa Pike’s execution just hours before she was to be executed by lethal injection in Nashville.
- The stay followed a last‑minute campaign by Pike’s lawyers arguing her original defense failed to present her history of childhood sexual abuse and neglect.
- The intervention came after the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, declined to block the execution and after Gov. Bill Lee denied clemency that would have allowed Pike to serve life in prison.
- The article reiterates that Pike, 50, would have been the first woman executed in Tennessee in more than 200 years.