A federal court has stayed the execution of Christa Pike…for now.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit issued an order staying Pike’s execution “until further order of this court.” Her attorneys have confirmed the stay.

Just a few minutes ago, TADP gathered online with 100 others for a prayer vigil for all victims of violence, including Colleen Slemmer and Christa Pike. This unexpected stay provided us with a welcome sense of hope during the vigil, even as we remembered and grieved lives lost and our State’s continued reliance on a failed death penalty system.

TAKE ACTION: In light of Christa Pike’s stay of execution from the federal court, we have an opportunity to reach out one more time to ask Governor Lee to be merciful and grant her clemency.

Send a letter to Governor Lee now!

STATEMENT BY CHRISTA PIKE’S ATTORNEYS ON GOVERNOR LEE’S CLEMENCY PETITION DENIAL

Statement from Stephen Ferrell, Federal Defenders Office of Eastern Tennessee, and Kelly Gleason and Randy Spivey, Tennessee Office of the Post Conviction Defender, attorneys for Christa Pike

September 28, 2026 – “We are deeply saddened and heartbroken by Governor Lee’s decision to deny clemency for Christa Pike. Moving ahead with her execution puts the State of Tennessee on singular footing: Christa will be the first person Tennessee executes in the modern death penalty era who was a teenager at the time of the offense and the first woman executed by the state in more than 200 years.

Throughout her childhood, Christa was failed by people and institutions that should have shown her care and meaningful intervention. Instead, her childhood was marked by repeated, documented rape and sexual abuse, neglect, and violence.

The 18-year-old girl suffering from severe mental illness and near-debilitating trauma no longer exists. Christa is a 50-year-old remorseful woman who understands her actions, receives proper treatment for her mental illness, and provides for and guides fellow incarcerated women.

With this decision, the State of Tennessee is ignoring what both science and our legal system have decided: an 18-year-old brain is not an adult brain, and 18 is too young to face execution. This decision also leaves unanswered vital questions about Tennessee’s execution protocol.

We will continue to support Christa through every remaining avenue and advocate for a system that is transparent for the people of Tennessee.”

Christa Pike is the only woman on Tennessee’s death row for a crime committed when she was an 18-year-old girl with severe trauma and untreated mental illness. She is a victim of child sexual abuse, multiple rapes that began when she was a toddler, and parental abandonment and neglect.

If her execution proceeds, Christa Pike will be the first woman put to death in the State of Tennessee in more than 200 years.

TAKE ACTION: Ask Governor Lee to Commute Christa Pike’s Death Sentence

At the time of the crime, Christa suffered from untreated mental illness, undiagnosed bipolar disorder, and PTSD from a lifetime of horrific and repeated childhood rapes, physical and sexual abuse, and neglect that began when she was in diapers.

The State of Tennessee is not disputing Christa’s childhood fraught with serious trauma. This was evident in a recent hearing challenging the method of execution when Assistant Attorney General Will Ayers said, “I think everybody in this courtroom wishes those [terrible] things had never happened to Ms. Pike.

To learn more about her case visit mercyforchrista.org and follow @mercyforchrista on Instagram and Facebook.