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Looming Execution Divides Mother, Daughter of Slain VA Deputy

The daughter of a sheriff's deputy killed by a man set to be executed in Virginia said that she has urged the state's governor to spare the man's life, but the slain deputy's mother says she hopes the prisoner is executed.

July 6, 2017
1 min to read


The daughter of a sheriff's deputy killed by a man set to be executed in Virginia said Wednesday that she has urged the state's governor to spare the man's life, but the slain deputy's mother says she hopes the prisoner is executed, reports the Associated Press.

William Morva is scheduled to receive a lethal injection Thursday for the 2006 killings of Derrick McFarland, a hospital security guard, and Eric Sutphin, a sheriff's deputy.

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Rachel Sutphin, the deputy's daughter, said she is among those urging Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe to halt Morva's execution.

"I am against the death penalty for religious and moral reasons," Sutphin said in an email to reporters. "I have fought and will continue to fight for clemency for all death row inmates until Virginia declares the death penalty unconstitutional. I have sent my own letter to the Governor showing my support for clemency," she said.

Meanwhile, the deputy's mother says that while she feels sympathy for Morva's family, she does not want the governor to intervene.

"I have no hatred for this creature who shot him execution-style. I just want justice for my son," Jeaneen Sutphin told The Roanoke Times in her Virginia home Wednesday.

Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe said Thursday he won't stop the execution of William Morva, reports NBC News.

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