On October 30, 2002, the husband and stepson of Teresa Lewis were found dead in their home after being shot. Lewis was found to be guilty of conspiring to murder the two, and she was also found guilty of hiring two hit men to commit the murders. Lewis, who has learning difficulties and an IQ of 72, filed for executive clemency in August, but Virginia's governor has said that there are no compelling reasons to grant her clemency. Matthew Shallenberger and Rodney Fuller, the two men found guilty of committing the actual murders of Julian and Charles Lewis, were both sentenced to life in prison but have not been sentenced to death.
I think that it is a shame that the United States still allows the death penalty. Even if one were to use the reasoning that the punishment should fit the crime, Teresa Lewis was not the individual who committed the murders of Julian and Charles Lewis, so that doesn't even fit the circumstances. Along with that, anybody with a low IQ, even if not found to be mentally retarded, should probably be evaluated in a different manner than someone with a much higher IQ. I find it hard to believe that she would have really thought out an elaborate plan that would result in the murders of her husband and stepson. Furthermore, if anybody involved in these murders were to be sentenced to death, why not the men who committed the murders?
Information and picture source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-11401164
