Va. woman on death row -- no clemency

[Chris]

The governor of Virginia has refused to grant clemency to a woman schedule to be executed this week.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/09/17/vir ... ml?npt=NP1

This reminds me of George w. Bush and Carla Faye Tucker. The Virginia woman has an IQ in the low 70s. Has been a model prisoner. A co-conspirator confessed to planning the crime before committing suicide.

Pat Robertson appealed to G. W. Bush to grant clemency to Tucker and didn't get anywhere. Maybe Robertson can change McDonnell's mind, since the gov. is a graduate of Regent Univ. I thought that people from Regent and Liberty are birds of a feather.

[Dave Roberts]

Our gov wants to appear tough on crime and make inroads as a law-and-order governor when he runs agains Webb or Warner for the Senate in the future. I am not impressed by his lack of concern in this case. I read Lynn Litchfield's piece on her, and she hardly seems a likely candidate for lethal injection. I cannot see any purpose her execution will serve--unless it raises sufficient outcry that VA finally does away with the death penalty. It's a strange feeling knowing they do all the executions here in my county.

[Ed Pettibone]

[Chris]

[Ed Pettibone]

Ed: BTW, Lichfeild's piece is here http://www.ethicsdaily.com/news.php?viewStory=16566 I still find no compelling reason for the Governor to change his mind.

[Neil Heath]

And I, on the other hand, see no reason for the death penalty to exist at all.

[Big Daddy Weaver]

That the two men who pulled the trigger got Life and she gets Death...does that bother you Ed?

Or what about the fact that her IQ is 72?

The Supreme Court ruled that the execution of the mentally retarded is cruel and unusual punishment in violation of the 8th Amendment. Courts have said that it is unconstitutional to execute anyone with a 70 or below IQ. Lewis apparently took the IQ test twice: scoring 73 and 70 placing her in the "borderline intellectual functioning" category. Three different psychology experts have declared that she suffers from "dependent personality disorder" making it difficult for her to carry out simple daily tasks without the assistance of someone else.

Pretty compelling to me. You'd think that folks like McDonnell who claim to hold the Constitution in high esteem would choose to err on the side of caution with regard to the 8th Amendment.

[KeithE]

[Dave Roberts]

I am not in favor of the death penalty in most cases, but the fact, as noted above, that the triggermen got life seems to say that she is getting more than they. Also, there is the question of how much she was influenced by one of them to actually set up the murders. He gender has nothing to do with it. I have actually known one woman who was executed in NC, but that's a different story. I think the woman is being used by the governor to prove his toughness for political reasons, and I don't think that justifies the situation at all.

Chris, there are always people on Corrections Way the nights of executions. As long as they don't impede traffic, there is usually no problem with their presence.

[Ed Pettibone]

[quote="Big Daddy Weaver"]That the two men who pulled the trigger got Life and she gets Death...does that bother you Ed?

Ed: Yea Arron, that bothers me. Apparently it bothered one of the two men also.

AW: Or what about the fact that her IQ is 72?

Ed: What about it 72 is only mild retardation on the highest scales. That is the top level. The 4 levels are Mild, Moderate, severe, and profound.

Here is the offical profile for Mild Levels of Mental Retardation/Intellectual Disability
Note the IQ is between 52 and 69

Ability at Adult Age (21 Years and Older)
Mild 52-69 Can develop social and communication skills; motor coordination is slightly impaired; often not diagnosed until later age Can learn up to about the 6th-grade level by late teens; can be expected to learn appropriate social skills. Can usually achieve enough social and vocational skills for self-support; may need guidance and assistance during times of unusual social or economic stress

AW: The Supreme Court ruled that the execution of the mentally retarded is cruel and unusual punishment in violation of the 8th Amendment. Courts have said that it is unconstitutional to execute anyone with a 70 or below IQ. Lewis apparently took the IQ test twice: scoring 73 and 70 placing her in the "borderline intellectual functioning" category. Three different psychology experts have declared that she suffers from "dependent personality disorder" making it difficult for her to carry out simple daily tasks without the assistance of someone else.

Ed: Given that Lewis is out of the range for mental retardation this is a moot argument. Nut look again at what can be expected of those in the mild classification. And Aaron I know psychology "experts" who will say about any thing a lawyer scrips out for them. To be persuaded by the three that you reference I would have to know a lot more about them, their professional training, their occupational history, ect. I once worked with a fellow who's testimony as an "Expert witness" regarding a "Hands test" was used to get a woman a greatly reduced charge. This woman had led a group of teens to torture a girl in her care and the girl died. It turns out the "hands test" was a thesis project that was later refused by his peer review group.

Ed: Thanks to Haruo for the catch I did men to type "But" rather than Calling Aaron a nut.

AW: Pretty compelling to me. You'd think that folks like McDonnell who claim to hold the Constitution in high esteem would choose to err on the side of caution with regard to the 8th Amendment.

Ed: Aaron I worked for a couple years in a facility for the care and treatment of mentally retarded males 16to 22 who had been adjudicated as guilty of criminal activity above the level of misdemeanors.

Our clients had been been convicted of every thing from theft to Murder. The population covered all four of the levels listed above. I have no doubt that our mildly retarded clients including the two who had committed murder knew right from wrong. Both tested above 66. When they reached 22 they where placed the general population of a state prison.

And What does this have to do with McDonnell. Isn't she in Delaware?

[Haruo]

Finally figured it out. But, not Nut.

[Big Daddy Weaver]

[Dave Roberts]

[Ed Pettibone]

[Chris]

[Chris]

This execution has given ammunition to Ahmadinejad, of all people.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/09/ ... ontentBody

[Haruo]

[Dave Roberts]

The media trucks were pulling into town today to make a circus of this. Executions may have limited witnesses, but the local and national media are all in town.

[Chris]

[Dave Roberts]

[Dave Roberts]

French TV was here.

An interesting sidelight--both the pro-death penalty and anti-death-penalty demonstrators were heavily infiltrated by undercover law enforcement to insure keeping the peace.

[Haruo]

[Chris]

[Jim]

[KeithE]