Execution of Tennessee woman blocked by federal court with hours to spare

Hours before a Tennessee woman was set to be put to death Wednesday for her role in a brutal killing, a federal appeals court blocked the execution to allow more time to weigh whether the defendant’s history as a sexual abuse victim was properly considered in her case.

Christa Pike had been sentenced to death three decades ago for the murder of a classmate, Colleen Slemmer, a crime the woman committed when she was 18 years old.