Virginia woman to be executed is first in 98 years

For the first time in 98 years, a female convict will be executed later this month in Virginia. Unless the governor or Supreme Court intervenes, the execution will take place on September 23rd. Lewis, a 41-year-old grandmother, was convicted of hiring two men to kill her husband.

Lewis pled guilty to hiring two men to murder her husband, Julian Lewis, and stepson in 2002, in a plot to collect life insurance money. The crime was considered especially heinous because she participated in the perpetration of the crime. Lewis took money out of her husband’s wallet, to simulate a robbery gone wrong, as he lay dying from gunshot wounds. She delayed calling the police to make sure her husband died. However, she didn’t wait long enough and Julian was able to tell police, “My wife knows who done this to me.” Unfortunately, he died later on. It turned out that Teresa Lewis was having an affair with one of the men hired to kill her husband.

Teresa Lewis and the two gunmen were convicted. While one of the gunmen received life in prison, the presiding judge felt Lewis was the cold hearted mastermind of the crime, calling her “the head of this serpent.” He sentenced her to death by lethal injection. If Lewis is executed, she will be the 12th woman executed since its reinstatement in 1976.

This might seem an open and shut case, but there’s twist. Teresa Lewis has an IQ so low that it borders on mental retardation. Her IQ has been measured as low as 70 which bring into question the issue of her ability to function using sound reasoning. Both the Virginia Supreme Court and the Federal Appeals Court both rejected the argument supporting her inability to function normally in society.

Lawyers representing Lewis are pleading for clemency, stating that their client is too mentally incompetent to execute. While the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that executing mentally retarded criminals is cruel and unusual punishment, which is a violation of the 8th amendment of the Constitution, Virginia disagrees. Virginia doesn’t consider an individual mentally retarded unless they have a lower than average IQ score and a record of not being able to function within society. While it sounds as if Lewis qualifies for clemency, the courts disagree.

Many groups support Lewis, feeling she should not be executed because of her low IQ. Even the prison chaplain, where Lewis is being held on death row, believes her life should be spared. "It is my sincere belief that Teresa Lewis's life has merit to the Commonwealth of Virginia. She can be a positive force for good within the prison system helping other incarcerated women," said the Rev. Lynn Litchfield, who befriended Lewis behind bars. Support for Lewis is building up momentum as the execution date nears.

While the crime was shocking and punishment is certainly warranted, is the death penalty the solution to this case? The fact that Lewis has such a low IQ has led many to speculate that she couldn’t have been the mastermind of a crime that required planning beyond her mental capabilities. Rev. Litchfield and other supporters have set up a website, SaveTeresaLewis.org. The website lists reasons Lewis should be spared the death penalty.