April 10, 2017 - 9:22 AM
RICHMOND, Va. - The Virginia Council of Churches and two state lawmakers are urging Virginia's governor to halt the planned execution of an inmate convicted of hiring a man to kill his ex-girlfriend.
The church group delivered a letter to Gov. Terry McAuliffe on Monday asking him to spare the life of 38-year-old Ivan Teleguz. Delegates Marcus Simon and Patrick Hope also sent a letter to McAuliffe urging him to grant Teleguz clemency.
Teleguz is scheduled to receive a lethal injection April 25. He was convicted in 2006 of hiring a man to kill Stephanie Sipe in Harrisonburg.
Teleguz's attorneys filed a clemency petition Friday. The inmate maintains his innocence, and since his trial, two key prosecution witnesses have recanted.
The governor's office has said Teleguz's clemency petition is under review.
News from © The Associated Press, 2017