In a shocking development, a federal appeals court has stepped in and stopped the execution of 50-year-old Christa Pike. Pike would’ve been the first woman in more than 200 years executed by the state of Tennessee, and she had already lost her appeal to the Supreme Court. Governor Bill Lee even announced earlier this week that he would not offer Pike clemency. The federal court wants to review whether Pike’s allegations of childhood sexual abuse and rape were fully considered at her sentencing. The mother of Pike’s victim, Colleen Slemmer had raised money to travel to Nashville to attend Pike’s execution, and has been publicly advocating for her execution for the past three decades.
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