The US Supreme Court overturned the stay of execution for Krista Pike of Tennessee.
Quick Look
- The US Supreme Court has lifted the stay of execution for Krista Pike, convicted of murder in 1996, allowing her death sentence to be carried out.
- Pike, 50, had been awaiting execution since 1996 after killing 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer, who had a pentagram carved into her body.
- If carried out, she will be the first woman executed in Tennessee in more than 200 years.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
Kriste Pike was convicted in 1996 of her role in the murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer, who had a pentagram carved into her body. Her accomplice Tadaril Shipp received a life sentence. Pike spent more than 25 years awaiting execution, citing a history of child sexual abuse and neglect, which the defense presented as a mitigating factor that was not considered by the jury in 1996.
Author, News Department
Place of work, BBC
Published September 30, 2026
Updated 2 hours ago
Reading time: 3 min
The US Supreme Court has again cleared the way for Tennessee prisoner Krista Pike's death sentence to be carried out. Before this, her execution was suspended just an hour before the scheduled date.
Pike had been awaiting execution since 1996. A federal appeals court said Wednesday it needed time to review defense arguments that the killer should not be executed.
However, the Supreme Court granted the request of the Tennessee prosecutor, who demanded the cancellation of the deferment, which was decided by the lower court.
The deferment was overturned by conservative Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, but he did not explain his decision. The court's three liberal members, Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson, opposed it.
The Supreme Court's decision was made on Wednesday around 18:00 local time. The execution warrant must expire at midnight.
Pike, 50, had been awaiting execution since 1996 after she was convicted of murder. If carried out, Pike will be the first woman executed in Tennessee in more than 200 years. Since the 1970s, only 18 women have been executed in the United States, compared with 1,663 men.
The US Supreme Court has previously rejected a request to stay the execution, and the governor of Tennessee earlier this week refused to grant Pike's request for clemency.
Why was she sentenced to death?
Pike is now 50 years old. She was 18 when she and her then-boyfriend Tadaryl Shipp beat, tortured and killed Colleen Slemmer, a 19-year-old girl they met at a job training camp for teens with behavior problems. This murder caused a violent reaction: the victim had a pentagram carved into his chest, a symbol of a satanic ritual.
Pike claimed Colleen abused her and tried to poach her boyfriend. Two other camp inmates later testified that Pike bragged about the murder both before and after it was committed, and also showed them a piece of the victim's skull.
A year later, she was sentenced to death, and Shipp, who was 17 at the time, received a life sentence with the possibility of parole.
Was she a victim herself?
However, Pike revealed a documented history of childhood sexual abuse and a life of neglect.
In the years since her conviction, Pike's defense has unearthed details of her childhood that they say the 1996 jury couldn't account for.
Her lawyers believe that if she were a teenager today, with such a background, she would not be sentenced to death even with all the evidence of guilt.
The defense noted that for years, the State of Tennessee had argued in court that Pike lied about being sexually abused as a child. However, at a recent hearing on the manner of her execution, the state suddenly announced that it did not dispute the fact that she had been sexually assaulted and raped.
In a ruling Wednesday, judges on the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals said they needed more time to consider arguments in Pike's case. But the Supreme Court overturned their decision.
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What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Krista Pike will be sentenced before the warrant expires at midnight local time.
Very likely · Within hours
The 6th Circuit Court of Appeals will hold additional hearings on defenses after the stay is lifted.
Likely · Within days
Open Questions
- Will the sentence be carried out before the warrant expires at midnight?
- What specific defenses will the appellate court consider once the stay is lifted?
- Will the State of Tennessee's position on child sexual abuse change Pike's further consideration of the case?
- Is there any chance of a pardon from the Tennessee governor after last week's denial?
