Marjorie_Signer : MyBlogHer Profile

Was Teresa Lewis executed because she was a woman? Well, of course not! Teresa – the first woman to be put to death in Virginia in almost 100 years -- was executed because of her involvement in the murder of her husband and stepson. But why did she get the death penalty when her two accomplices – the triggermen – got life in prison? There’s the factual answer – one of the gunmen pleaded guilty and cut a deal. There’s the legal process answer – her attorneys made some bad decisions. There’s the roll-of-the-dice answer: she got a tough judge and some key evidence was not allowed in. There’s the misogyny answer: because she looked like a mean, heartless bitch (in her photos, that is). And there’s the gender answer (the one that is most telling): because she did what a powerful man, whom she wanted to please, told her to do.  Read more >