The scheduled execution of Tennessee woman Christa Pike has been stayed "until further order" hours before it was set to proceed. In North Carolina, it's been just over 20 years since the last execution was carried out.
USA TODAY described the crime for which Pike was sentenced to death at age 18. On Jan. 12, 1995, 18-year-old Pike, her boyfriend, 17-year-old Tadaryl Shipp and another young woman lured 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer to the woods in Knoxville, Tenn.
Pike and her accomplices beat Slemmer, and Pike sliced her stomach and throat with a box cutter, then smashed the back of her head with a rock as she attempted to escape. Shipp also carved a pentagram into Slemmer's chest, and Pike later showed off a piece of Slemmer's skull to a friend.
In 2025, Tennessee carried out three executions and one in 2026. Pike is the only woman on Tennessee's death row.
In North Carolina, capital punishment is legal; it is no longer commonly used. In August 2026, the state marked an anniversary - 20 years since its most recent execution. Here's what else to know about the stay of Pike's execution, plus a rundown on N.C.'s history with the death penalty.
Christa Pike execution: What we know
Pike's execution had been set for 10 a.m. CST on Wednesday, Sept. 30, or 11 a.m. EST. However, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit issued an order the morning of Sept. 30 staying Pike's execution "until further order of this court."
Why was Christa Pike's execution delayed?
According to USA TODAY, the Court of Appeals cited new arguments relating to Pike's traumatic childhood, which was marked by years of sexual assaults starting before she was in pre-school, in staying the execution.
"The interests of justice and the finality of Pike’s impending execution compel the entry of a short stay of execution in order to properly analyze the parties’ fully briefed arguments and resolve the issues on the merit," the court wrote in the order obtained by USA TODAY.
Does North Carolina allow the death penalty?
Yes. According to U.S. law, capital punishment can only be used in cases that result in the death of the victim and is primarily reserved for serious murder cases. Under North Carolina law, people who are ruled to be insane or who are deemed to be mentally incapacitated cannot receive the death penalty, and the minimum death penalty-eligible age is 17.
How many people are on death row in North Carolina?
There are two women and 120 men listed on N.C.'s death row roster.
How many people have been executed in North Carolina?
The Death Penalty Information Center lists a total of 827 executions carried out in North Carolina. This includes 43 executions carried out since the death penalty was reinstated in 1973 following Furman v. Georgia.
When was the last time a prisoner was executed in North Carolina?
This August, the state marked 20 years since the state's last execution.
The N.C. Department of Adult Correction website explains that the execution of Samuel Flippen was the most recent in the state's history. Flippen was executed Aug. 18, 2006, for the murder of his two-year-old stepdaughter.
Iris Seaton is the trending news reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at iseaton@citizentimes.com.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Execution of Christa Pike stayed. When was NC's last execution?
