Happening TODAY: First Woman In More Than 200 Years To Be Executed In Tennessee

Cue the smooth guitar because it’s Yacht Rock night on Dancing with the Stars!  DeAnna is relieved because Tyler Cameron is safe for another week… but Trista agrees that his jive seems off, and his large frame might be his biggest challenge.  Plus, Trista reveals her pick to win the entire season and we try to figure out if the judges are being too soft on superstar Julia Stiles!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

71-year-old Douglas Carter walked out of prison this week after spending 40 years on death row for a 1985 murder he says he never committed. Carter was finally freed after DNA from the crime scene excluded him as a suspect. Carter was finally granted a new trial last year after the Utah Supreme Court ruled the two witnesses who testified against him recanted their stories, revealing that police and a prosecutor gave them cash and gifts to point the finger at Carter. Prosecutors agreed with the judge to release Carter, despite objections from the victims’ family.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

NBC news has sourced a remarkable story describing what life is like for the billionaire music mogul behind bars. Multiple inmates have described a life Sean “Diddy” Combs has curated in prison, spending thousands of dollars a month for men to make his bed, cook his food, clean his clothes and give him massages. They also have photos and videos showing Diddy on a phone - which is not permitted - and say Diddy has premium alcohol that he sometimes shares with a tight circle of inmates on the weekends.  Diddy’s reps have already responded to the allegations, but didn’t necessarily deny them. It’s unclear if these reports will have any impact on his latest release date of January 2028.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In a shocking development, a federal appeals court has stepped in and stopped the execution of 50-year-old Christa Pike. Pike would’ve been the first woman in more than 200 years executed by the state of Tennessee, and she had already lost her appeal to the Supreme Court. Governor Bill Lee even announced earlier this week that he would not offer Pike clemency. The federal court wants to review whether Pike’s allegations of childhood sexual abuse and rape were fully considered at her sentencing. The mother of Pike’s victim, Colleen Slemmer had raised money to travel to Nashville to attend Pike’s execution, and has been publicly advocating for her execution for the past three decades. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

50-year-old Christa Pike is scheduled to become the first woman executed in Tennessee since 1819.   Pike was convicted of the torture and murder of an alleged romantic rival when she was 18-years-old.  She committed her crime with her then 17-year-old boyfriend, and because of his age he was given a life sentence, while Pike was sentenced to death. There have been dozens of women’s advocacy groups trying to halt her execution based on her extensive sexual abuse and mental health history.  At this point, all of Pike’s appeals have been exhausted, and the Governor of Tennessee has already made his decision not to intervene. The mother of Pike’s victim, Colleen Slemmer, plans to attend, saying she’s been waiting for this day for more than 30 years.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It took the jury less than three hours to convict 40-year-old former American Idol Contestant Caleb Flynn for the murder of his wife, Ashley, last February. During closing arguments the prosecution reminded the jury of the overwhelming evidence against Flynn, including his damning text messages about wanting to kill his wife. The defense spent nearly an hour trying to convince the jury there was reasonable doubt because no physical evidence connected Flynn to the murder. We have Ashley’s family reaction and Caleb’s parents comments after the guilty verdict was delivered.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Robach and Holmes cover the latest news headlines and entertainment updates and give perspective on current events in their daily “Morning Run.”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ariana rapid-fires through why she'd never text an ex back, the wedding dress she splurged on for her sister, the nepo baby label she's tired of, and what actually calms her down before something stressful (hint: it's not beta blockers).  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A bizarre and disturbing story out of the Bay Area: two, 76-year-old murder suspects are in custody, accused of murdering their son-in-law at a California sports complex and playground. Police say Shouyong Zhang and Shili Chen each shot 40-year-old Jonathan McKinsey multiple times, witnesses directing police to the couple within minutes of the murder. McKinsey was the director of engineering for the games section of The New York Times and was in a contentious and complicated divorce and custody battle that included decades of domestic violence accusations and restraining orders. The couple is expected in court on Wednesday, where we hope to get more details in this shocking crime.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While no date has been set yet for the retrial of Lindsay Clancy, the prosecution acknowledged it is moving forward with its case against the mom accused of strangling her three young children to death.  Clancy’s defense attorney surprised the court, making an argument that the case against her should be thrown out because there is no actual evidence she killed her children. The judge plans to rule on several motions presented by the prosecution, defense, a media organization and the holdout juror in early November.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.