美国女子因谋杀罪被判处死刑
文章来源:未知 文章作者:meng 发布时间:2010-09-24 06:01 字体: [ ]  进入论坛
(单词翻译:双击或拖选)

A 41-year-old woman who conspired1 to murder her husband and stepson has been executed in the US state of Virginia.

美国弗吉尼亚州一名41岁女子因为密谋杀害其丈夫和继子被处以死刑。

Teresa Lewis died by <a href=lethal2 injection in Jarratt, Virginia" width="224" height="299" onclick="window.open('/upimg/allimg/100924/4_100924060222_1.jpg')" src="http://www.enread.com/upimg/allimg/100924/4_100924060222_1.jpg" />
Teresa Lewis died by lethal injection in Jarratt, Virginia

Teresa Lewis was the first woman to be put to death in the US for five years and in Virginia since 1912.

Lewis, who had learning difficulties, used sex and cash to persuade hitmen(职业杀手) to kill her family in 2002.

The US Supreme3 Court and Virginia's governor refused to stop her execution, which took place at 2100 (0100 GMT) at Greensville Correctional Center.

Last meal

Lewis spent her last hours with her spiritual adviser4 and family members at the prison in the city of Jarratt.

She requested a final meal of two breasts of fried chicken, sweet peas with butter, a slice of either German cake or apple pie, and a Dr Pepper soft drink, prison spokesman Larry Traylor said.

As she was escorted(陪同,护送) into the death chamber5, Lewis appeared tearful, her jaw6 clenched7(紧握的) , Associated Press reported.

Shortly before her execution, Lewis asked if her stepdaughter Kathy Clifton, daughter of her murdered husband Julian Lewis, was there.

Ms Clifton was in a witness room separated from the execution chamber by a two-way mirror.

"I want Kathy to know that I love her and I'm very sorry," Lewis said.

Those were her final words. The time of her death was given as 2113 (0113 GMT).

Clemency8 plea

On 30 October 2002, Lewis left the door to her family home in the Virginia city of Danville unlocked for gunmen Matthew Shallenberger and Rodney Fuller.

Lewis's husband Julian, 51, and stepson, Charles Lewis, 25, were later found dead from shotgun blasts.

Lawyers for Lewis filed a petition(提交请愿书) for clemency(仁慈,温和) on 25 August 2010, but the US Supreme Court refused to intervene. Two of three women in the nine-judge court voted to halt the execution.

Lewis, who has an IQ of 72, claimed that she did not possess the intelligence to have planned the killings9, and that new defence evidence allegedly proved one of the gunmen manipulated her.

Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell said medical and psychological reports provided no compelling(引人注目的,强制的) reason to grant clemency to Lewis, noting she had admitted her role in the killings.

"After numerous evaluations10, no medical professional has concluded that Teresa Lewis meets the medical or statutory(法定的) definition of mentally retarded," Mr McDonnell said after he rejected the clemency plea.

Lewis was motivated to hire the gunmen by the desire to inherit her husband's assets and her stepson's life insurance. She paid for the weapons and ammunition11(弹药) used in the murders.

Shallenberger and Fuller were both sentenced to life in prison. Shallenberger committed suicide in 2006.

Virginia carries out the second highest number of executions of any state in the US.



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1 conspired 6d377e365eb0261deeef136f58f35e27     
密谋( conspire的过去式和过去分词 ); 搞阴谋; (事件等)巧合; 共同导致
参考例句:
  • They conspired to bring about the meeting of the two people. 他们共同促成了两人的会面。
  • Bad weather and car trouble conspired to ruin our vacation. 恶劣的气候连同汽车故障断送了我们的假日。
2 lethal D3LyB     
adj.致死的;毁灭性的
参考例句:
  • A hammer can be a lethal weapon.铁锤可以是致命的武器。
  • She took a lethal amount of poison and died.她服了致命剂量的毒药死了。
3 supreme PHqzc     
adj.极度的,最重要的;至高的,最高的
参考例句:
  • It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
  • He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。
4 adviser HznziU     
n.劝告者,顾问
参考例句:
  • They employed me as an adviser.他们聘请我当顾问。
  • Our department has engaged a foreign teacher as phonetic adviser.我们系已经聘请了一位外籍老师作为语音顾问。
5 chamber wnky9     
n.房间,寝室;会议厅;议院;会所
参考例句:
  • For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说,牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
  • The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。
6 jaw 5xgy9     
n.颚,颌,说教,流言蜚语;v.喋喋不休,教训
参考例句:
  • He delivered a right hook to his opponent's jaw.他给了对方下巴一记右钩拳。
  • A strong square jaw is a sign of firm character.强健的方下巴是刚毅性格的标志。
7 clenched clenched     
v.紧握,抓紧,咬紧( clench的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • He clenched his fists in anger. 他愤怒地攥紧了拳头。
  • She clenched her hands in her lap to hide their trembling. 她攥紧双手放在腿上,以掩饰其颤抖。 来自《简明英汉词典》
8 clemency qVnyV     
n.温和,仁慈,宽厚
参考例句:
  • The question of clemency would rest with the King.宽大处理问题,将由国王决定。
  • They addressed to the governor a plea for clemency.他们向州长提交了宽刑的申辨书。
9 killings 76d97e8407f821a6e56296c4c9a9388c     
谋杀( killing的名词复数 ); 突然发大财,暴发
参考例句:
  • His statement was seen as an allusion to the recent drug-related killings. 他的声明被视为暗指最近与毒品有关的多起凶杀案。
  • The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。
10 evaluations a116c012e4b127eb506b6098697095ab     
估价( evaluation的名词复数 ); 赋值; 估计价值; [医学]诊断
参考例句:
  • In fact, our moral evaluations are merely expressions of our desires. 事实上,我们的道德评价只是我们欲望的表达形式。 来自哲学部分
  • Properly speaking, however, these evaluations and insights are not within the concept of official notice. 但准确地讲,这些评估和深远见识并未包括在官方通知概念里。
11 ammunition GwVzz     
n.军火,弹药
参考例句:
  • A few of the jeeps had run out of ammunition.几辆吉普车上的弹药已经用光了。
  • They have expended all their ammunition.他们把弹药用光。
TAG标签: family US murder death
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