Christa Pike's scheduled execution has been halted at the last minute after a U.S. appeals court agreed to review whether her history of childhood abuse was properly considered when she was sentenced to death. The 50-year-old was due to be executed by lethal injection at 10am local time in Tennessee, which would have made her the first woman executed by the state in more than 200 years. The stay was issued around an hour before the execution was due to take place, with the court yet to say how long its review will take or when it will rule. Pike had already refused to choose a final meal, after Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee denied clemency and the U.S. Supreme Court declined to stop the execution.

Christa Pike's scheduled execution has been halted at the last minute after a U.S. appeals court agreed to review whether her history of childhood abuse was properly considered when she was sentenced to death. The 50-year-old was due to be executed by lethal injection at 10am local time in Tennessee, which would have made her the first woman executed by the state in more than 200 years. The stay was issued around an hour before the execution was due to take place, with the court yet to say how long its review will take or when it will rule. Pike had already refused to choose a final meal, after Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee denied clemency and the U.S. Supreme Court declined to stop the execution. #christapike #usa #tennessee #news #crime