Teresa Lewis
| Teresa Wilson Bean Lewis | |
|---|---|
Photo by the Virginia Department of Corrections
|
|
| Born |
Teresa Wilson April 26, 1969 Danville, Virginia, U.S. |
| Died | September 23, 2010 (aged 41) Greensville Correctional Center Jarratt, Virginia, U.S. |
| Criminal penalty | Death by lethal injection |
| Criminal status | Executed on September 23, 2010 |
| Spouse(s) | Julian Clifton Lewis, Jr. (murdered) |
| Children |
|
| Parent(s) | Melvin C. Wilson, Sr. |
| Conviction(s) | Capital murder Conspiracy - capital murder Robbery Use of firearm in murder Use of firearm in robbery |
Teresa Wilson Bean Lewis (April 26, 1969 – September 23, 2010) was an American murderer who was the only woman on death row in Virginia prior to her execution. She was sentenced to death by lethal injection for the murders of her husband and stepson in October 2002. Lewis sought to profit from a $250,000 life insurance policy her stepson had taken out as a U.S. Army reservist in anticipation of his deployment to Iraq.
In September 2010, Lewis became the first female inmate to die by lethal injection in the state of Virginia. The state had last executed a woman in 1912. The case led to debate over capital punishment due to Lewis's gender as well as questions regarding her mental capacity.
Teresa Wilson grew up in poverty in Danville, Virginia, where her parents both worked in a textile mill. Teresa sang in a church during her youth. At 16, she dropped out of school and married a man she met at that church. The couple had one daughter, Christie Lynn Bean, but the marriage soon ended in divorce, after which Teresa turned to alcohol and painkillers. Her mother-in-law, Marie Bean, described Teresa as "not right".
After migrating between dozens of low-paying jobs, Teresa Wilson Bean eventually found work in the spring of 2000 at the Dan River textile mill, where her supervisor was Julian Clifton Lewis, Jr. He was a recent widower with three children, Jason, Charles, and Kathy. Teresa, and her 16-year-old daughter Christie, moved into Julian's home in June 2000 and the two married soon after. In December 2001, Julian's older son, Jason Clifton Lewis, was killed in a car accident, leaving his father $200,000 from a life insurance policy. Julian used the money to buy a manufactured home on five acres of land in Pittsylvania County, Virginia.
In August 2002, Julian's younger son, Charles J. Lewis, obtained a $250,000 insurance policy in preparation for his impending deployment to Iraq as part of the United States Army Reserve. Charles designated his father as the primary, and Teresa Lewis as the secondary beneficiaries.
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