A federal appeals court has issued a stay of execution for Christa Pike, the sole woman on Tennessee’s death row, halting the proceedings just hours before she was set to be killed. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit issued a 2-1 decision on Wednesday, pausing the lethal injection that was scheduled for 10 a.m. Central Time.
Judge Jane Branstetter Stranch wrote that the stay was necessary in the “interests of justice” to allow time for reviewing whether Pike’s allegations of childhood sexual abuse and rape were adequately considered during her sentencing. The order remains in effect until further ruling by the court.
Tennessee officials have moved quickly to challenge the stay. Warden Kenneth Nelsen of the Tennessee Department of Corrections filed an application with the U.S. Supreme Court to vacate the pause, arguing that Pike’s claims had already been rejected. Nelsen emphasized the state’s interest in finality and the right of the victim’s family to closure.
Members of Colleen Slemmer’s family, including her parents and stepfather, plan to witness the execution. The filing urged the Supreme Court to intervene to “avoid rewarding Pike’s abusive delay tactics” and to prevent further trauma to Slemmer’s relatives.
Pike, 50, was convicted in 1996 for the 1995 murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer, a fellow Jobs Corps participant. Court records indicate Pike told a friend she intended to kill Slemmer because she “just felt mean that day.” She admitted to acting with her then-boyfriend, Tadaryl Shipp, who received a life sentence with the possibility of parole.
In recent legal filings, Pike’s attorney, Stephen Ferrell, argued that her history of trauma would make the execution process torturous. Pike claimed that being the only female inmate surrounded by male corrections officers would trigger post-traumatic stress disorder, potentially rendering her incompetent for execution. The Tennessee Supreme Court previously rejected these arguments, and the U.S. Supreme Court denied a related request on Tuesday.
Judge Richard Allen Griffin dissented from the stay, describing the effort as a “last-ditch meritless effort to delay a lawful execution.” During her incarceration, Pike was also convicted in 2001 of attempted first-degree murder for assaulting another inmate.
It’s been nearly three decades. Does a legal stay really help the victim’s family find closure, or just prolong their suffering?
The dissenting judge called it meritless, but ensuring due process matters. How can we be sure her trauma claims weren’t properly weighed?