Washington (US), 30 Sept. (LaPresse) – A federal appeals court has halted the execution in Tennessee of Christa Pike, about an hour before it was due to begin. Now aged 50, the woman was convicted of a murder committed in 1995, when she was 18 years old. It would have been the first execution of a woman in the state for at least 200 years. The judges stated that they wished to verify whether the allegations of sexual abuse and rape suffered by the woman during her childhood had been fully taken into account prior to her death sentence. It is unclear whether the Attorney General of Tennessee will appeal against the decision or for how long the execution will be postponed.
US: Court halts execution of death row inmate in Tennessee
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Washington (US), 30 Sept. (LaPresse) – A federal appeals court has halted the execution in Tennessee of Christa Pike, about an hour before it was due to begin. Now aged 50, the woman was convicted of a murder committed in 1995, when she was 18 years old. It would have been the first execution of a woman in the state for at least 200 years. The judges stated that they wished to verify whether the allegations of sexual abuse and rape suffered by the woman during her childhood had been fully taken into account prior to her death sentence. It is unclear whether the Attorney General of Tennessee will appeal against the decision or for how long the execution will be postponed.
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