Appeals court halts execution of Tennessee woman less than two hours before lethal injection

A US appeals court ordered a "short stay of execution" for death row inmate Christa Pike less than two hours before she was scheduled to be put to death, according to France 24.

Pike would have been the first woman executed in Tennessee in more than two centuries had the lethal injection proceeded as scheduled.

The court halted the execution to give itself time to consider Pike's claims that her history of severe sexual abuse had not been adequately taken into account during her original sentencing.

It was not immediately clear how long the stay would last or when the court might rule on Pike's claims. Further details on the timeline for a decision were not included in the available reporting.