Virginia bishops welcome commutation of prisoner's death sentence

Richmond, Va., Apr 22, 2017 / 14:13 pm

The Catholic bishops of Virginia welcomed a decision by the governor to commute a prisoner's death sentence on the grounds that false information was presented during his sentencing.

"We are all children of the same merciful, loving God, and he alone has dominion over all life," the bishops said April 20.

Bishop Francis DiLorenzo of Richmond and Bishop Michael F. Burbidge of Arlington said they welcomed the decision to commute the death sentence "because we have a profound respect for the sanctity of every human life, from its very beginning until natural death."

Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe on Thursday commuted the death sentence of Ivan Teleguz, 38, to life without parole. He was scheduled to be executed April 25.

The governor had denied his petition for a pardon, but said that the sentencing phase was "terribly flawed and unfair." He said false information about Teleguz was presented during sentencing, including another alleged murder and mob ties.

"In this case, we now know that the jury acted on false information, and that it was driven by passions and fears raised – not from actual evidence introduced at trial – but from inference," McAuliffe said.

Teleguz was convicted for the 2001 murder of Stephanie Yvonne Sipe, who was the mother of their 23-month-old son. She was stabbed to death in her apartment.

Prosecutors said that Teleguz was angered by an order to pay child support, hired two men to kill the woman for $2,000 and drove them from Pennsylvania to her Harrisonburg, Va. Apartment.

Teleguz's lawyers have contended that he is innocent. DNA evidence implicated Michael Hetrick as the murderer. He and two others then implicated Teleguz, Richmond's CBS 6 reports.

The Catholic bishops voiced their "deep sorrow" and prayers for all victims of violence and their loved ones.

"Likewise, we continue to pray for a change of heart and a spirit of remorse and conversion for all those who commit acts of violence," they said.

The bishops prayed that God would give the grace "to work together for justice, peace and respect for all life in our communities and our Commonwealth."