Associated Press
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.