Virginia Governor Won't Stop Execution

Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell said he will not stop Thursday's scheduled execution of a man who was convicted of raping and killing an elderly Williamburg woman.

McDonnell's action Friday leaves the U.S. Supreme Court as the only hope for 30-year-old Jerry Terrell Jackson, who is scheduled to die by lethal injection at Greensville Correctional Center.

McDonnell said he reviewed the case and sees no reason to intervene.

Jackson was convicted of the 2001 murder of 88-year-old Ruth Philips.

His lawyers argue the jury in Jackson's trial was not given a complete picture of the abuse he suffered as a child. They have argued that evidence of abuse could have convinced jurors to spare Jackson's life.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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