COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA House oF Detecates September 10, 2010 The Honorable Robert F. McDonnell Governor of Virginia Office of the Governor ‘atrick Henry Building, 3rd Floor 1111 East Broad Street Richmond, Virgi Dear Governor MeDonnell: | am writing today to respectfully request your office grant clemency of Teresa Lewis and that her sentence be commuted to life in prison, As you know, Ms. Lewis is scheduled for execution by the Commonwealth on September 23, 2010. ceive a life Ms, Lewis is guilty of participating in a plan to murder her husband and stepson in order to insurance payout. She is guilty of this crime and these facts are not in dispute. However, this particular case is exceptional because Ms. Lewis has a borderline intellectual disability (also referred to as “mental retardation”). [understand that her 1Q is said to be around 72. While an IQ of 70 is considered to be the threshold determinate of someone deemed “intellectually disabled,” these determinations are not always reliable and seience cannot always be specific enough to distinguish the difference between one or two points. I have personally consulted with clinicians who indicate that such individuals with similarly low 1Q’s have diminished capacities and significant limitations in adaptive behavior. Individuals such as Ms. Lewis are unable to process information, learn from their mistakes, control impulses, engage in logical reasoning, and lack basic abilities that non-disabled individuals typically pos Governor McDonnell, | recognize how heavy this particular decision is weighing on you, While we mnot excuse Ms. Lewis for her crime, I believe this particular case deserves clemency and her sentence be commuted to life in prison, When there is this much doubt, you should use your diseretion in such a way that always errs on the side of life. I pray that you search your heart and that God may give you the strength to make the right decision Thank you for your attention to this matter and I greatly appreciate your consideration, Patrick A. Hope