Execution temporarily halted for Christa Pike, first woman Tennessee planned to put to death in 200 years

Updated on: September 30, 2026 / 10:52 AM EDT / CBS News

A United States district court has temporarily stayed the execution of Christa Pike, the only woman on Tennessee's death row, just hours before she was scheduled to receive a lethal injection on Wednesday.

Although the execution has been halted, it could still proceed later Wednesday, as the state intends to ask the U.S. Supreme Court to vacate the last-minute district court order, an attorney for Pike said. If it does happen, Pike would become the only woman executed in the state in the last 200 years.

"I am not afraid to die. I'm only nervous about the process," wrote Pike, in a letter she penned before Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee denied her clemency petition on Monday, clearing the way for her execution to take place.

Thanking those who rallied for the governor to intervene and halt the plan, Pike said she was "at peace," regardless of the outcome of her bid. CBS News obtained a copy of the letter from her spiritual adviser, Rev. Mikey Noechel, along with a copy of another note Noechel received from Pike that contained handwritten lines from the poem "To ——" by Edgar…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/entertainment/