Public Execution in Afghanistan: The Victim's Father served the Sentence against a Man who Killed his Son
The Taliban have sentenced to death and publicly executed a man accused of murder in western Afghanistan
Teresa Lewis, called the mastermind in the murder-for-hire deaths of her husband and stepson, was executed Thursday night, CNN reported, citing Virginia Department of Corrections officials.
Lewis, who was given a lethal injection, was pronounced dead at 9:13 p.m. ET at Greensville Correctional Center in Jarratt.
Death penalty opponents argued that Lewis, a 41-year-old grandmother, should not have died for a 2002 conspiracy that spared two triggermen a capital sentence. Instead they got life without parole.
Lewis was the first woman executed in Virginia in nearly a century.
The victims' family members witnessed the execution, state Department of Corrections spokesman Larry Traylor said.
News media witnesses said Lewis appeared frightened when she entered the death chamber and approached the gurney.
Asked if she had last words, Lewis said, "I just want Kathy to know I love her. And I am very sorry."
The inmate was referring to her stepdaughter, witness Kathy Clifton, daughter of murder victim Julian Lewis and sister of victim C.J. Lewis.
"She has no recriminations, she has no ill will for anybody," Lewis attorney Jim Rocap said. "I think frankly that she had accepted what was going to happen tonight a long time ago, and she was very peaceful with that."
The death row inmate pleaded guilty in the 2002 slayings of her husband and stepson in their rural home near Danville, Virginia, about 145 miles from Richmond.
Lewis, whom the state argued is evil, was the first woman executed in the United States in five years.
She requested a last meal of two fried chicken breasts, sweet peas with butter, German cake (first choice), apple pie (second choice) and a Dr Pepper soft drink, officials said.
Rocap also released a statement late Thursday.
"Tonight, the machinery of death in Virginia extinguished the beautiful, childlike and loving human spirit of Teresa Lewis ..." Rocap said. "Teresa asked that I send her thanks and love to all of those who have supported her in this fight for her life. In her words, 'It's just awesome.' It is our hope that Teresa's death will cause a re-examination of the badly broken system of justice that could allow something as wrong and unjust as this to happen."
We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!
The European Parliament has voted to impose a €10,000 limit on cash payments within the European Union
French President Emmanuel Macron issued a stark warning to Europe, urging the continent to confront the challenges of a rapidly changing world
In a recent statement, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov issued a stern warning to Poland, asserting that any permanent deployment of NATO nuclear weapons on Polish soil would render the country a military target for Russia.
Reports confirm that Ukraine has deployed long-range ballistic missiles provided by the United States in secret, targeting Russian forces in occupied territories
President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine has pledged to take all necessary measures to compensate for the six-month delay in receiving a new 61 billion dollars US aid package
Russia has declared its intention to repatriate 48 deported Ukrainian children to their families, according to Maria Lvova-Belova, the Russian Commissioner for Children's Rights
UN Happiness Report: Bulgaria's Astonishing Leap in Rankings
Bulgaria: 3 Regions With Lowest Life Expectancy - EU Report 2022