Teresa Lewis Pleads for Her Life: Only Female on Va. Death Row Says She Wasn't Mastermind

By: Carlin DeGuerin Miller
Topics: Daily Blotter

Teresa Lewis (AP)

RICHMOND, Va. (CBS/AP) Teresa Lewis pleaded guilty to murder in 2002 for masterminding a plot that left her husband and stepson dead. Prosecutors said her intent was to collect the insurance money and inherit her husband's estate.

Shortly after that, Lewis became the first female death row inmate in Virginia in more than 90 years, but her appeals attorneys argued Tuesday that she should be spared the death penalty, because she was too dependent on drugs and other people to mastermind anything.

James Rocap, Lewis' attorney, argued that her trial attorneys should have presented hundreds of pages of medical and pharmaceutical records showing her increased dependency on prescription drugs following her mother's death, and expert testimony showing that a disorder made her especially dependent on men.

"She was not a person who could have come up with this," Rocap said.

Katherine Burnett, a senior assistant attorney general, painted an entirely different picture of Lewis, saying that she bragged to two friends that she was marrying Julian Lewis, Jr. for his money, came up with the idea to kill him and his 25-year-old son, Charles, and offered the two gunmen sex in return for helping her as well as buying the weapons used in the crime.

The gunmen, Rodney Fuller and Matthew Shallenberger, were sentenced to life in prison.

Lewis' daughter, Christie Lynn Bean, who was 16 at the time, served five years because she knew about the plan but remained silent.

David Furrow, Lewis' defense attorney when she pleaded guilty in 2002, said he had expected the judge to sentence Lewis to life in prison.

But at her sentencing, Circuit Court Judge Charles Strauss said that she appeared cold and emotionless throughout the proceedings, that she seemed to have no other motive besides financial gain, that he saw her as a continuing threat to society, and sentenced her to death.

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by calimero2019 September 22, 2010 11:06 AM EDT: C'est une honte car cette femme n'a pas pu commanditer ces meurtres vu son QI, et ils vont quand m?me la tuer. Et y a personne qui peut empecher ?a !!!!! C'est terrible !!!!!; Reply to this comment


by drommer September 22, 2010 5:34 AM EDT: you americans are not beter than the muslims wye dont take stone to kill her schame on you; Reply to this comment


by mjtull1 September 18, 2010 1:36 PM EDT: Death and fear and terror. She did this and more to her own family for money. Now she wants mercy. Let her get it from Jesus who she says she belives in. If she said she didn't deserve any mercy then she might deserve some. Let God have mercy on her and let society know you get what you deserve in this life.; Reply to this comment


by Terrysnewswatch1 August 10, 2010 9:45 AM EDT: So what does it actually take to deserve the death penalty? How many repeatoffenders do we here about? I am surprised at the number of times I hear someone has murdered someone else and then they do a few years and kill again. I havent heard of any repeat offenders once they get capital punishment. I say start with a 1 volt battery, if that doesnt work try a 2 volt, then 3 volt and so on til they get it right. Maybe you could have them live in your neighbor hood where they can see the error of their ways. I am willing to look at both sides.; Reply to this comment

by floydp75423 March 24, 2010 4:37 AM EDT

Bring her to Texas we can give her a crying towel while we strap he in the chair

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by jemgal50 July 11, 2010 8:11 PM EDT: to be so cavalier about murdering a human being, especially sanctioned by society is one of the reasons our culture is so violent. shame on you