Teen Killer Dodges State’s First Female Execution in 200 Years—For Now
Christa Pike, a convicted Tennessee murderer, will not be executed Wednesday after the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals granted a last-minute stay, potentially preventing her from becoming the first woman put to death in the state since the early 1800s.
The 2-1 ruling pauses the execution “until further notice” while judges consider motions from Pike’s lawyers and the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office.
Tennessee officials quickly asked the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the stay and allow the execution to proceed.
Pike was 18 in 1995 when she and two accomplices killed 19-year-old classmate Colleen Slemmer in what prosecutors described as a brutal satanic attack. Court records say the assault, which involved beating, kicking and stabbing, lasted between 30 minutes and an hour, according to Pike’s own account.
A portrait of Colleen Slemmer, provided by her mother. The photograph is undated. (May Martinez/Special to the News Sentinel)
Pike and Slemmer met through the Job Corps Center, a vocational program in Knoxville, court documents say.
Records show that Pike accused Slemmer of trying to take her boyfriend and “running her mouth.” The day before the killing, Pike reportedly told another student that she wanted Slemmer dead because she “just felt mean that day.” She carried a box cutter and a meat cleaver.
Pike, her boyfriend Tadaryl Shipp and Shadolla Peterson lured Slemmer away by telling her they planned to visit a music store and retrieve marijuana they had hidden in a nearby park.
According to court records, Pike then attacked Slemmer, knocked her down and struck her face with her knee and foot.
Christa Gail Pike appears during her March 18, 1996, murder trial for Colleen A. Slemmer in Knox County Criminal Court. (USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect)
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Slemmer briefly escaped and attempted to run, but Shipp caught her and held her on the ground as Pike cut her with the box cutter. The victim pleaded for her life, yet the assault continued. The attackers eventually gagged her with a hair tie.
Shipp also carved pentagrams into Slemmer’s face and chest.
Christa Gail Pike was scheduled for execution on September 30, 2026, a date that would have made her the first woman executed in Tennessee since 1819. She was sentenced to death for the 1995 murder of Colleen Slemmer. (Tennessee Department of Correction via AP)
Forensic psychiatrist Dr. William Bernet testified at trial that the killing contained “satanic elements,” but also reflected what he called “collective aggression.” In that phenomenon, he said, a group becomes emotionally charged and ultimately engages in extremely violent behavior, according to court records.
Dr. Eric Engum said Pike had been diagnosed with “very severe borderline personality disorder,” along with cannabis dependence and depression. He testified, however, that she displayed no signs of brain damage or insanity.
Dr. Murray Marks, a forensic anthropologist at the University of Tennessee, testifies about injuries to Colleen A. Slemmer’s skull during Pike’s murder trial in Knox County Criminal Court on March 25, 1996. (USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect)
Court records say Pike kept a fragment of Slemmer’s crushed skull as a trophy and later displayed it at school. She told a friend that Slemmer had begged the attackers to stop, that she had cut the girl’s throat roughly six times and that Shipp had smashed her head with a rock. Pike also showed another classmate her blood-covered sneakers and brought the skull fragment to breakfast the following morning.
Shipp and Peterson were not sentenced to death. Shipp was younger than 18 when the crime occurred and therefore was ineligible for capital punishment, while Peterson testified for the prosecution.
Pike’s supporters argue that her defense team failed to adequately present mitigating evidence during sentencing, including claims of untreated bipolar disorder and PTSD linked to repeated domestic violence and sexual assaults. Nearly 25,000 people had signed a petition urging Gov. Bill Lee to commute her death sentence to life in prison.
The stay remains temporary while the legal challenge continues.
Macron Calls Brexit the Biggest Lie of the Past 30 Years
French President Emmanuel Macron has branded Brexit “the biggest lie of the last 30 years”, using a speech in Madrid to highlight what he described as Britain’s economic and political difficulties since leaving the European Union.
During his state visit to Spain on Tuesday evening, Macron also pointed to the UK’s continuing struggle to manage immigration, an issue that featured prominently in the campaign before the 2016 referendum.
“Brexit is the biggest lie of the last 30 years,” the French leader said. “Those who promised, ‘We will be richer’ – ten years later, GDP is eight points lower.”
He continued: “Those who said, ‘We will solve the immigration problem’ – it is more complicated than it was before. And those who promised, ‘We will become a major success in international trade’ – it is even worse.”
Macron spoke just hours before Andy Burnham said Britain should examine a range of possible future arrangements with the EU, including the prospect of rejoining the bloc, during an interview with Radio 4’s Today programme.
Asked about Burnham’s comments alongside Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, Macron described the possibility of Britain returning to the EU as “excellent news” and “a good decision”.
Sanchez also signalled his support, saying Spain would welcome the UK back into the European Union “with open arms”.
Macron said Britain had historically played a valuable role in helping the EU simplify its processes, while also being a challenging and demanding partner.
French President Emmanuel Macron described Brexit as “the biggest lie of the last 30 years” during a conference in Madrid.
Andy Burnham said in an interview broadcast on Wednesday that Britain should consider every option for its future relationship with the EU, including rejoining the bloc.
“Andy Burnham is right to show this boldness,” Macron said. However, he warned that Britain could not expect to deepen its relationship with the EU indefinitely while remaining outside the bloc, almost a decade after the Brexit vote.
“You cannot choose among the freedoms of the union, taking what suits you while rejecting the rest,” he said.
With a smile, Macron then delivered a brief message in English: “Welcome back.”
Sanchez took a similar view, describing Brexit as “a huge loss” for both the British people and the wider European project.
In an interview broadcast earlier in the day, Burnham said rejoining the EU was one of several possible answers to the unavoidable question of what Britain’s long-term relationship with Europe should be.
His remarks followed a speech at the governing Labour Party’s annual conference, where he promised to outline “different options” for Britain’s future links with the European Union ahead of a planned summit with the bloc later this year.
Burnham has faced criticism since raising the possibility of rejoining the EU. Scottish Labour leader Michael Marra warned that returning to the bloc was “unrealistic”.
The comments also marked a sharp change in position for Burnham, who told a conference in Leeds in May: “I am not proposing that the UK considers rejoining the EU.”
“I respect the decision made in the referendum, and failing to honour that vote would undermine everything I have said about strengthening democracy,” he added.
Macron made the comments during a Madrid press conference with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.
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The Prime Minister told the BBC he did not want to leave the issue ‘hanging’ and he wanted to be clear on ‘where we want Britain to go in the next decade’.
Asked whether he wanted the UK to rejoin the bloc, Mr Burnham told Radio 4’s Today programme he wanted to ‘look at the options’.
He added: ‘We could stay as we are. That’s definitely an option, if people think this is the right place to stay,’ he told the programme.
‘We could look at what (former Conservative chancellor) George Osborne has said about a customs union, we could look at what the Liberal Democrats said at their conference about the single market, or we could go all the way.’
Labour’s election manifesto in 2024 ruled out joining a customs union, going back into the single market, or allowing the return of freedom of movement with the EU.
‘There are clearly options that need to be considered, and we have to look at what is doable and what would be the pros and cons of each,’ he told the BBC.
Water Main Break Floods Claremont Avenue Homes, Forces Evacuations
CHICAGO (WLS) — An early-morning water main break sent floodwaters into about a dozen homes in Chicago’s Heart of Chicago neighborhood Tuesday, forcing some residents to evacuate and causing significant damage.
The break happened in the 2500-block of South Claremont Avenue.
Residents along South Claremont Street awoke to rapidly rising water in their basements after an 8-inch water main ruptured. Firefighters responding to reports of a water leak around 3 a.m. discovered the break and went from house to house, helping people leave the affected homes.
Several homeowners said they had only minutes to collect essential belongings before evacuating.
“Everything is damaged. Everything. There’s water up to the couch. There’s nothing. Everything’s floating on it, or everything’s ruined. All everything that was on the floor, the shoes, everything. It’s all the way to our knees, so it’s soaked in there,” homeowner Tracy Cadenas said.
Cadenas said a neighbor alerted her to the flooding early Tuesday, shortly before firefighters arrived and instructed her to get out.
“We grabbed whatever, just the little things we could, just some clothes and whatever we could find. And I don’t think any of it can be saved, but we’ll see,” Cadenas said.
The water was eventually shut off, but flooding persisted. In the daylight and rain, crews from the city’s Department of Water Management worked to repair the damaged main.
The Department of Water Management said the 8-inch water main was installed in 1978.
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A few houses away, resident Ismael Ortiz said his son woke him as water poured into their recently remodeled basement. Ortiz said his son, daughter-in-law and 2-year-old grandchild moved upstairs while the floodwaters rushed through the home.
“This was unbelievable,” Ortiz said.
“It looked like a lake,” he said. “I took a picture from the window and it was water high like this. I have three steps going into the yard and the water was going all the way up.”
Ortiz said two sump pumps were unable to handle the volume of water entering the basement.
“I don’t know who’s gonna pay for all the damage,” Ortiz said.
“Who’s gonna be responsible for this? The city, the homeowners’ insurance, we don’t know. We’ll see, because now everything’s ruined,” Cadenas said.
As cleanup efforts continued, some families stayed with relatives upstairs while flooded lower levels remained underwater or were being cleared of debris.
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Tycoon’s Wife Has the Last Laugh After His Secret Sharia Divorce Bid
The wife of a $100 million investment tycoon may pursue a divorce in Texas after the state Supreme Court ruled that his secret attempt to obtain a Sharia divorce did not adequately notify her.
According to a ruling issued Friday, Mohammad Ali Choudhri and Hira Azhar married in Pakistan in 2008 in an arranged marriage.
Choudhri was 28 at the time and had lived in Texas since he was three, but traveled overseas to find a bride. Azhar was 18 when the couple married, the court document said.
Azhar, now 36, moved to Houston in 2010 after securing a visa. She has alleged that Choudhri subjected her to physical and emotional abuse throughout their marriage, the ruling said.
The real estate mogul, now 46, sent Azhar to Pakistan in 2013 to renew her visa. While she was abroad, he pursued a divorce under Sharia law, according to the filing.
Under Islamic law, a husband may unilaterally divorce his wife by saying or writing, “I divorce thee” three times.
Rather than telling Azhar that he intended to end the marriage, Choudhri published a notice in a small Pakistani newspaper for five days, the ruling said.
Azhar never saw the notice and did not learn about the divorce until two years after it was finalized in May 2013, according to the court document.
Her lawyers told KPRC at the time that Choudhri paid her only $50, despite the couple accumulating $100 million in assets during their marriage.
Mohammad Ali Choudhri married Hira Azhar in Pakistan in 2008 through an arranged marriage, according to a Texas Supreme Court ruling
Azhar moved to Houston in 2010 to join Choudhri. Public records indicate that they lived together in this $1 million mansion owned by the real estate mogul’s parents
Azhar returned to Texas in June 2015 and filed for divorce in Harris County, according to the ruling obtained by the Daily Mail.
She also asked the court to divide the couple’s marital property.
The Harris County court dismissed her petition after recognizing the Pakistani proceedings under the legal doctrine of international comity, the filing said.
International comity is a legal principle under which courts may recognize and enforce judgments issued by foreign countries.
The Harris County court also rejected Azhar’s request for a division of the marital estate, according to the Supreme Court opinion.
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Azhar appealed to Houston’s First Court of Appeals, but the appellate court upheld the lower court’s decision.
After more than a decade of legal battles, the Texas Supreme Court has now ruled in Azhar’s favor and overturned that decision.
Choudhri sent Azhar to Pakistan to renew her visa in 2013 and pursued a Sharia divorce while she was there. She was reportedly left with just $50
The Texas Supreme Court concluded that the notice Choudhri provided to Azhar was “constitutionally inadequate.”
‘The notice in this case, involving five days of publication in a single obscure outlet, does not suffice,’ the justices wrote in an opinion issued Friday.
They argued that foreign judgments are not automatically entitled to be recognized in Texas, especially if they conflict with state policy.
‘As a matter of law, the notice provided here is constitutionally inadequate, and far short of what our public policy demands,’ the court wrote.
‘Other countries are welcome to conclude otherwise, but their judgments are not entitled to comity in a Texas court.’
The justices added that ‘no foreign judgment is entitled to comity when it contradicts the fundamental guarantees of the Texas and United States Constitutions.’
They further ruled that Azhar ‘should be able to pursue divorce in Texas under Texas law.’
The case will now be sent back to the trial court for further proceedings.
Choudhri is the founder and CEO of Jetall Capital and has acquired more than $1.2 billion of real estate assets across the US, Mexico, Europe and Dubai, according to his website
The real estate tycoon (above with his mother and other relatives) has lived in Texas since he was three years old, the court filing said
Choudhri, founder and CEO of Jetall Capital, has acquired over $1.2 billion of real estate assets across the US, Mexico, Europe and Dubai, according to his website.
But despite his apparent riches, the mogul has been involved in multiple legal disputes over the years.
He was arrested by US Marshals in April last year in connection with bankruptcy litigation. He was also sued in a US court by the National Bank of Kuwait.
Why Avengers: Endgame Encore Is Making Marvel Fans Furious
“Avengers: Endgame Encore” is dominating the box office, but the rerelease has also left some fans frustrated. In the Looper video above, discover why the latest Marvel event has sparked such a strong backlash among moviegoers.
During what has become 2026’s biggest box-office week so far, “Avengers: Endgame Encore” returns the 2019 blockbuster to theaters ahead of “Avengers: Doomsday.” This is more than a straightforward rerelease, however: Marvel has added new post-credit material designed to connect the events of “Endgame” with the upcoming Avengers sequel.
The catch is that not every screening includes the complete collection of bonus footage. Only the IMAX and Infinity Vision presentations feature all four new scenes. Moviegoers who opted for standard tickets therefore missed one piece of footage, a decision that has caused considerable irritation among Marvel fans.
The IMAX and Infinity Vision exclusive scene brings back the Time Variance Authority
Gareth Gatrell/Marvel Studios
Three of the four new sequences are being shown to audiences across formats. One expands on the closing dance from the original “Endgame,” with the Loki variant played by Tom Hiddleston visiting Steve Rogers, portrayed by Chris Evans, and Peggy Carter, played by Hayley Atwell. Another reveals that Doctor Doom, played by Robert Downey Jr., requires Hulk, played by Mark Ruffalo, and takes him for an undisclosed purpose. The third reinterprets the metallic noise heard during “Endgame’s” credits, revealing that Doom is forging his mask—an image that echoes Tony Stark crafting the first Iron Man suit in 2008’s “Iron Man.”
The exclusive IMAX and Infinity Vision scene shifts to the Time Variance Authority, the timeline-monitoring organization introduced in “Loki” and featured in “Deadpool & Wolverine.” Mobius M. Mobius, O.B., and Casey—played by Owen Wilson, Ke Huy Quan, and Eugene Cordero—watch as the entire Multiverse races toward collapse. Alongside a cameo from the TVA-connected “God of Stories” Loki, the sequence strongly suggests that the agency will be central to “Avengers: Doomsday.” Fans who paid for standard screenings and missed the scene have understandably been vocal. Watch Looper’s video above for a closer look at the reaction.
Seattle Prosecutors Replace ‘Gangs’ With Controversial New Term
Seattle prosecutors avoid describing criminal groups as gangs, using the term “cliques” instead, according to an official.
Amy Barden, the first chief of Seattle’s Community Assisted Response and Engagement (CARE) Department, said the terminology caught her off guard during a meeting. She discussed the issue on the Jason Rantz Show.
“Everybody’s talking about ‘cliques,’” Barden recalled. “And I remember I had to lean over and say, ‘What are we… Are we talking about gangs?’”
“And you know, the captain next to me said, ‘Yeah, they’re talking about gangs. We call them cliques.’”
Barden said the word “gang” was avoided during a SeaStat meeting, a regular crime statistics briefing attended by prosecutors and city officials, because some consider the label stigmatizing.
The CARE chief questioned the value of calling the groups “cliques” when the individuals involved refer to themselves as gangs.
“I think it’s well-intentioned. I’m a compassionate person. I don’t like stigmatizing language,” Barden said.
“I also think we need to dwell in reality, and that it slows us down to not just name the problem, try to identify the solutions, and understand with human behavior, you always need incentives and deterrents. There has to be accountability.”
Amy Barden, the first chief of Seattle’s Community Assisted Response and Engagement (CARE) Department, said on the Jason Rantz Show that gangs were referred to as “cliques” during a meeting involving prosecutors and city attorneys.
Seattle’s dedicated gang unit was disbanded in 2020 as the department shifted its focus toward gun violence. Under former Mayor Bruce Harrell, officials were reportedly reluctant to use the terms “gang” and “gang member,” according to Seattle Red.
Merriam-Webster defines a “clique” as “a narrow exclusive circle or group of persons.”
By contrast, its definition of “gang” is “a group of persons working to unlawful or antisocial ends especially: a band of antisocial adolescents.”
Asked by the Daily Mail whether King County prosecutors had been instructed to use “cliques” instead of gangs, the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office said “no.”
The office emphasized that it operates separately from the city of Seattle.
The comments come months after then-Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes repeatedly described gangs as “small groups” following a mass shooting that killed three people.
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Barnes used the phrase several times during a press conference after the July 26 massacre at the Bite of Seattle food festival, a shooting authorities linked to gang violence.
He said investigators were still determining the motive but described the incident as “certainly group activity.”
Appearing to refer to gangs, the police chief said during the press conference: “We have small groups that appear to be at odds with each other.”
“In our city, 0.01 percent of the population is connected to 52 percent of our shootings, most of which are young people,” Barnes said.
According to Seattle Red, officials under former Mayor Bruce Harrell were reluctant to use the terms “gang” and “gang member.”
Seattle’s dedicated gang unit was disbanded in 2020 as the department shifted its approach toward gun violence.
Seattle mayor Katie Wilson has came under scrutiny for her response to a horror mass shooting in her city on July 26 that killed three people and injured at least four others and was suspected to be connected to gang violence
Harrell’s successor, Mayor Katie Wilson, has favored a community-policing approach that prioritizes relationships and problem-solving over strict enforcement.
Wilson came under fire for her response to the mass shooting in July. The shooting unfolded at around 6pm local time, but the city’s response was later scrutinized over delays and problems communicating information to the public.
Wilson has since asked the city’s Office of Inspector General to conduct an independent review of the public information response to the shooting.
She was previously a supporter of efforts to defund the police in the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder in 2020 but has since said her views have evolved.
According to crime statistics tracker NeighborhoodScout, Seattle residents have a one in 132 chance of becoming a victim of a violent crime.
The robbery rate is more than triple the national rate, at 2.16 cases for every 1,000 residents, and there are an average of 446 crimes per square mile in the city.
Seattle has also struggled with a significant homelessness crisis. A Brookings Institution analysis found that unsheltered homelessness in Seattle jumped 88 percent from 2015 through the period it examined.
The Daily Mail has contacted Barden, the Seattle Mayor’s Office, Seattle Police Department, and Seattle City Attorney’s Office for comment.
Southern California High School Students Punished Over Blackface Post
Four California high school students are facing criticism after sharing a meme that appeared to show them posing in blackface inside an African American studies classroom.
The students, whose identities have not been released, attend San Marcos High School in Santa Barbara. In the image, their skin had been digitally darkened.
The photo appeared to imitate an AI-generated image of four young Black boys striking different poses, a picture that has circulated widely on TikTok.
The post carried the caption, “Meet the gc🥷🥷🥷🥷🥷🥷🥷…” The ninja emoji has been used online as a reference to a racial slur against Black people.
San Marcos High School Principal Dare Holdren said the students had “portrayed blackface” and confirmed that the school had imposed consequences. He shared the information with parents in a letter sent Friday.
Holdren said the image was reported to administrators through the school’s Safe to Speak Up system roughly two weeks earlier, adding that the administrative team acted quickly.
Because the image continued spreading among students and had affected members of the school community, Holdren said school leaders believed it was necessary to address the incident publicly.
The school contacted the students’ families and began working with them to understand the consequences of their conduct, he said. “Racial stereotypes are harmful and have no place in our schools,” Holdren wrote.
He added that intent does not erase impact, and that students must recognize how their words, images and actions can affect other people.
The teenagers have not been publicly identified, and the specific disciplinary measures taken by the school remain unclear.
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San Marcos High School is part of the Santa Barbara Unified School District. Superintendent Hilda Maldonado also condemned the post, saying the incident caused real harm.
“Blackface has a long history of dehumanizing and humiliating Black people,” Maldonado told Noozhawk. “What happened was harmful.”
She said the incident could leave Black students, employees and families—as well as anyone who has experienced being treated as an outsider—wondering whether they will be judged by their skin color instead of their humanity.
“No child or staff member should have to carry that feeling into school,” Maldonado said. The district has faced other allegations and incidents involving racism in recent years.
Last year, a substitute teacher at San Marcos High School reportedly read the n-word aloud during a lesson on Of Mice and Men, despite being instructed not to use it. The substitute was subsequently removed from campus.
At a June 9 community meeting, residents and students said racial tensions and concerns remained present at the school.
“Black students do not feel safe here, and I have personally lost friends who moved away because of it,” one student told attendees.
Maldonado said the district would continue working toward a more inclusive school environment.
She acknowledged that no single statement, classroom lesson or program could transform the culture overnight.
“This is not a one-and-done issue,” Maldonado said. “But I can promise that we will keep listening, learning, examining ourselves and continuing this work.”