You can’t take it back now.
About an hour ago, 41-year-old Teresa Lewis was pronounced dead. She was executed by the Commonwealth of Virginia, where I happen to live – she spent her final time on earth about three hours south of me.
I call her execution a travesty because of her retardation. I seem to recall that the Army doesn’t admit anyone with an IQ under 80 – Teresa Lewis had an IQ of 72. Everyone is calling that “borderline” retarded, but come on – we’re talking the here. The developmentally delayed. The intellectually challenged. The intelligence impaired.
How could someone with such low intelligence have masterminded a double killing as she was said to have done? Various officials have called her evil. Come on, evil? Evil implies deliberate, willful malice. Teresa Lewis was just following the suggestions of a couple of 20-somethings she was dating. Yes, she agreed to arrange it. But did she know better? Yes, she committed crimes. But did she deserve to die, when the shooters – the guys who manipulated her into this – got life in prison?
Nobody benefits from her death, either. There are no survivors crying out for justice, not that I have heard of. There is only sadness. Oh, and Governor Bob McDonnell death row clemency requests within five days of execution, because it is unfair to the defendant and the survivors to keep them guessing which it will be. I’m not pleased with my governor right now.
Teresa Lewis is . I hope she carried that with her to the moment of her execution. I hope she believed that she did her penance on earth, in prison, and that she was going to heaven. Can you imagine someone of such low intelligence believing they were going to hell? What a horrible existence that would be.
Teresa, rest in peace.
by hmm...
24 Sep 2010 at 01:16
#1 – Becoming religious and apologizing should never remove the consequences for one’s actions.
#2 – IQ tests are not necessarily correct. An IQ test score indicates how well someone took the test. Actual intelligence cannot truly be measured. In fact, the first paragraph in your link regarding intelligence states that there are many factors other than retardation that can result in a low IQ test score.
#3 – Where is the proof that she was “just following the suggestions of a couple of 20-somethings she was dating”? From her defense lawyer? From an activist group that opposes the death penalty? Those can hardly be considered objective sources.
#4 – I agree completely that it is unfair that this woman was executed while the two men she conspired with were sentenced to life in prison. All three should have received the same punishment.