Court stays execution of Tennessee woman shortly before lethal injection

It would have been the first execution of a woman in Tennessee in more than 200 years

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This undated photo provided by the Tennessee Department of Correction shows Christa Pike.
This undated photo provided by the Tennessee Department of Correction shows Christa Pike.
AP

A US court on Wednesday halted the execution of a woman in Tennessee shortly before she was due to die from lethal injection, three decades after she murdered a classmate.

The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a last-minute ruling to stay until further notice the execution of Christa Pike, in what would have been the first execution of a woman in Tennessee in more than 200 years.

In this image from video provided by WBIR-TV, Christa Pike cries after being sentenced to death on March 30, 1996 in Knoxville, Tenn. (WBIR-TV via AP) (Photo: WBIR-TV via AP)