Virginia to execute disabled woman

Teresa Lewis, a grandmother diagnosed with borderline mental retardation, will be the first woman executed in the state of Virginia in almost a century.

The state of Virginia will move forward with execution of Lewis, 41, by lethal injection at 9 p.m. local time.

Lewis was convicted for masterminding the murder of her husband and stepson in 2002 in order to get their insurance money.

But questions have been raised regarding Lewis’ capability to have masterminded the double murder, with her lawyer pointing out that she has an IQ of about 72, which places her on the borderline of mentally incompetent, reports say.

Additionally, the two gunmen who committed the murders received life imprisonment while Lewis received the death penalty.

Moreover, one of the gunmen, Matthew Shallenberger, had confessed to the crime, stating that he had masterminded the murders and manipulated Lewis. He eventually committed suicide in prison three years after being convicted.

While thousands have pled for her execution to be canceled, including author John Grisham and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the U.S. Supreme Court and Virginian Governor Bob McDonnell have refused to stop her execution, The New York Daily reported.