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Sparkle (3)
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.
The gender aspect of this sordid mess captured my attention. Psychologists testified at the trial that Teresa had dependent personality disorder, which is officially listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) published by the American Psychiatric Association and includes “Excessive dependence on others,” “Submissiveness toward others,” and “tolerance of poor or abusive treatment. “
Apparently, she had always done what men told her to do and she relied on them. [As a woman, I can relate to that behavior – it’s almost instinctive at times, there’s such a strong pull to “obey” (although it doesn’t justify committing a crime, of course).] Matthew Shallenberger, one of the gunmen, was just the sort of man Teresa would follow. He admitted that as soon as he met Teresa, he knew he could take advantage of her (he wanted money to go to New York and deal drugs). He paid attention to her and made her think he loved her. There are different stories as to who thought of the idea of killing Teresa’s husband for the insurance money (and the stepson as well – he was also insured). The judge who found Teresa guilty deemed her the mastermind of the crime and called her "the head of this serpent." Her website said it was Shallenberger's idea to kill Teresa's husband, which Teresa took “as a sign that he truly loved her.” (Shallenberger killed himself in prison three years after being sentenced.)
The sexuality in this case evoked fear and revulsion, like the case of Lorena Bobbit cutting off her husband’s penis. Teresa went to bed with her husband, leaving the door unlocked for the gunmen, and after he was shot, waited and watched him bleed before calling the police. The repeated references to Teresa's "young lover" – Shallenberger - made her seem like a horny old gal who'd do anything for a hot young guy. She involved her daughter in the scheme and set her up for sex with the other gunman.
Most of the photos I saw of Teresa made her look deranged, brutish, capable of any and all cruelties. My gut feeling is that everything in this case was colored by the perception of Teresa as an evil, heartless slut who used sexuality to manipulate others and for personal gain - a jezebel. Someone who should be put to death.
Along with dependent personality disorder, Teresa had several other major problems – she was borderline mentally retarded (her IQ was 72 or 73, Shallenberger’s was 113) and she suffered from a prescription drug addiction caused by a life of pain. You get a fuller picture of Teresa's fragile mental state when you pair the drug addiction with the gender-related dependency personality disorder and limited intellectual ability.
Was Teresa even capable of masterminding a complex plot like this involving sex, precision timing, managing two killers, and a quarter-million dollar insurance pay out? Teresa had tried unsuccessfully to kill her husband before - so why was she so successful as the mastermind now? She was a non-violent, not very bright, not very aggressive or directed,
