Christa Pike has received a last-minute stay of execution, just about an hour before she was scheduled to be put to death in Tennessee. Pike, 50, was set to receive a lethal injection on September 30 after spending more than three decades in prison for the 1995 murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer. The execution has now been temporarily halted while a federal appeals court reviews her latest legal arguments.

The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals granted the stay shortly before the scheduled execution time. The two-judge majority said it needed additional time to determine whether Pike’s recent filing should be treated as a motion to reopen her federal case or as a new habeas petition. The order does not overturn Pike’s conviction or death sentence, but it prevents the execution from proceeding for now.

Pike’s attorneys have argued that her history of childhood sexual abuse, trauma and mental illness deserves further consideration. The latest court action specifically involves claims that her childhood abuse was not adequately considered during earlier proceedings. One judge dissented from the decision, arguing that the filing should not have been allowed to delay the execution.

The state has indicated it can seek reconsideration by the full Sixth Circuit or ask the U.S. Supreme Court to lift the stay. The Supreme Court had already declined to halt Pike’s execution the previous day. For now, however, the execution will not take place under the current order, which remains in effect until further action by the court.