No Justice, No Mercy

       Her name was Teresa Lewis.  Convicted of arranging the deaths of her husband and stepson, she was put to death by lethal injection by the State of Virginia.  She was found guilty of hiring two hit men to carry out the killings in order to cash in a life insurance policy.  So what’s the problem with executing her for the crime?  There are three in fact.

1.      The two men who did shoot and kill her husband and stepson were not executed for the crime.  They received lesser sentences, life in prison.  (One of them committed suicide in prison in 2006.)  If they actually killed the two men, and did not receive the death penalty, why did Teresa not receive equal treatment, life in prison?

2.    Teresa was borderline mentally retarded.  Yet, she was convicted of being the “mastermind” of the plot.  Her mind was barely able to deal with everyday existence, much less “plot” a double killing and in the complex manner in which the prosecution said she did.

3.     There was strong evidence that Teresa was duped by one of the two men she allegedly hired to carry out the double murder, and given her inability to reason properly, she certainly could have been easy prey.  That evidence was not considered at trial.

       The trial established that Teresa did take part in the plot, for which she pleaded guilty.  Was she complicit?  Of course, and she should have been held accountable.  Life in prison without any chance of parole would have been appropriate.  But execution?  The key question in this sordid tale remains:  How can the shooters get life, and Teresa gets a lethal injection?  How can that possibly be fair? 

       How did it come down to this?  Forget all the garbage that Teresa was an abused child or that only weak-kneed liberals question the death sentence.  Forget the crocodile tears.  Teresa did not deserve sympathy, but she did deserve justice.  Fair justice.  The fact is that a conservative Governor and a conservative Supreme Court summarily dismissed her appeals, and not because of any factual relevance.  Justice was not upheld in her case.  An ideological mandate was.  Murder suspects must be killed; you know, an eye for an eye. 

       Teresa had to die, not because she actually pulled the trigger.  Teresa Lewis had to die...for no good reason.

John Wydra, WydeWorld.com

09/23/10