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France 24
France 24
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FRANCE 24

US Supreme Court clears way for Tennessee execution of woman for murder

Christa Pike Colleen Slemmer Tennessee United States May Martinez Sexual Abuse US Supreme Court
Christa Pike enters a Knox County Criminal Court in Knoxville, Tennessee
A picture taken on December 4, 2007 shows death row inmate Christa Pike entering a Knox County Criminal Court in Knoxville, Tennessee, US, obtained by Reuters on September 30, 2026. © J. Miles Cary, USA Today Network via Reuters

The US Supreme Court on Wednesday cleared the way for Tennessee to execute Christa Pike, 50, the state's first woman put to death in 200 years. The ruling came hours after a federal appeals court temporarily halted the lethal injection to consider claims that Pike's childhood sexual abuse was not adequately weighed at sentencing.

The US Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday that Tennessee could proceed with its first execution of a woman in 200 years, clearing the way for Christa Pike to be put to death by lethal injection for murdering a schoolmate as an 18-year-old three decades ago.

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