Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A woman convicted of organising two contract killings is scheduled to die by injection today after the US Supreme Court refused to block her execution. She will be the first woman put to death in Virginia in nearly a century.
Teresa Lewis, 41, was sentenced to death for providing sex and money to two men to kill her husband and stepson in October 2002 so she could collect on a $250,000 insurance payout. The country's top court refused to intervene. Two of the three women on the court, Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor, voted to stop the execution. The court did not otherwise comment on its order.
The court's decision followed state Governor Bob McDonnell's refusal to reconsider a clemency request, which he rejected Friday.
"A good and decent person is about to lose her life because of a system that is broken," said attorney James E Rocap III, who represents Lewis. He said he was referring to the decision by the Supreme Court and McDonnell's rejection of clemency.
Mr Rocap appealed to Gov McDonnell on Tuesday to reconsider his decision to deny clemency to Lewis, and said new evidence should spare her the death penalty. Rocap argued that one of the gunmen later claimed he manipulated Lewis, who has a learning disability, "to dupe her into believing he loved her so that he could achieve his own selfish goals".
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments