McAuliffe announces decision on clemency for Ivan Teleguz

After an eleven-year legal battle, Governor Terry McAuliffe has decided to deny a pardon for Ivan Teleguz, but commute his death sentence to life in prison instead, without the chance for parole.

"Because the sentencing phase of Mr. Teleguz's trial was flawed, I must commute his capital sentence to life in prison without parole," said McAuliffe in an announcement at the Capitol on Thursday.

He spoke passionately about the justice system and how he believes Teleguz is guilty of the crime, but he says during the sentencing phase of this case, the jurors were given false information that Teleguz was involved with the Russian Mafia and with just one call, he could hurt the jurors. It was within hours of that statement that the jurors recommended the death sentence.

This is the first execution McAuliffe has stopped since taking office as governor.

"My heart aches for the family of Stephanie Sipe, but the Virginia constitution and our sacred values of due process under law require me to act," he added.

Teleguz was convicted in 2006 of hiring another man to kill his ex-girlfriend, Stephanie Sipe, in Harrisonburg.

At the time, prosecutors argued that Teleguz ordered the killing of Sipe because he wanted to get out of paying child support. Commonwealth's Attorney Marsha Garst prosecuted the case eleven years ago and made the argument on February 24 to schedule the execution of Ivan Teleguz for April 25.

On Thursday, after McAuliffe's commutation of Teleguz's sentence, Garst told WHSV's Morgan Donnelly, "I have no comment."

But she is not the only one standing by the conviction. The family of Stephanie Sipe, many of whom still live in the Harrisonburg area, had been waiting for the execution.

Sipe's sister, Jennifer Tilley, spoke with WHSV last week with the execution date rapidly approaching.

"There's no doubt in my mind that he hired these people to kill my sister," said Tilley. "And it blows my mind, it really does, that he is still trying to fight and plead for his life."

And Teleguz, along with his attorneys, have, in fact, fought for years.

Since the 2006 conviction, two key prosecution witnesses have recanted, and a number of Teleguz advocates questioned what they saw as holes in evidence. The Virginia Capital Representation Resource Center launched a petition on Teleguz's behalf that garnered over 100,000 signatures.

His execution has been delayed several times for appeals to higher courts, until the Supreme Court chose not to review the case.

In recent weeks, some big names came on board with the 'Justice for Ivan' movement, including Virgin CEO Richard Branson, who expressed public support for clemency for Teleguz.

"It just demonstrates what a compelling case Mr. Teleguz presents to Governor McAuliffe," Elizabeth Peiffer, with the Virginia Capital Representation Center, told WHSV.

But even as others questioned Teleguz's guilt, the family of Stephanie Sipe says they know the truth.

"The family has heavy hearts. We are struggling daily, all the time, looking over our shoulders waiting for that phone call. Unsecure right now, until justice is served."

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Governor Terry McAuliffe has announced that he will make a public statement at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 20, regarding Ivan Teleguz's petition for clemency.

McAuliffe, who identifies as Catholic, has said that he personally opposed capital punishment, but hasn't stopped an execution during his tenure as governor.

However, he faces mounting pressure from sources ranging from Richard Branson, billionaire founder of Virgin, to the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

If

, he'll be given the sedative midazolam, followed by rocuronium bromide to halt breathing, and potassium chloride, which stops the heart.

Teleguz was convicted in 2006 of hiring another man to kill his ex-girlfriend, Stephanie Sipe, in Harrisonburg. Since that time, he has maintained that he is innocent and his execution has been delayed several times for appeals to higher courts.

The family of Stephanie Sipe says they have

and should be executed for his crime.

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Attorneys for Ivan Teleguz, the Rockingham County man convicted of a murder-for-hire plot in 2006, continue to try and convince Gov. Terry McAuliffe to spare his life.

Teleguz is set to be executed on April 25.

But his defense suggest this would be unjustified punishment, citing the recanted testimony of witnesses in the original trial.

"Two witnesses critical to the prosecution's case have now admitted in sworn, written statements they lied at the trial," Peiffer Elizabeth with the Virginia Capital Representation Resource Center said on Sunday. "They have no reason to believe that Mr. Teleguz was involved in this crime."

Elizabeth also said during the 2006 trial, prosecutors suggested Teleguz may have been involved in a Pennsylvania murder — an assertion she suggested was based on zero evidence.

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Attorneys for Ivan Teleguz, the Rockingham County man convicted of a murder-for-hire plot in 2006 and

, have filed a petition for clemency with Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe.

The petition asks Gov. McAuliffe to halt Teleguz's execution date because "jurors who convicted Teleguz and sentenced him to death relied on testimony that, since the trial, has been proven false and recanted."

Prosecutors argued that Teleguz ordered the killing of Stephanie Sipe in Harrisonburg because he wanted to get out of paying child support.

Teleguz maintains that he is innocent. Since he was put on death row, two key prosecution witnesses have recanted.

A Change.org petition in support of clemency from the governor has gained over 113,000 signatures, and the official petition for clemency was supported by Cara H. Drinan, described as a nationally recognized expert in criminal justice reform and a manager of the Catholic University of America Law/Ehrlich Partnership on Clemency.

Drinan says Teleguz's case “presents precisely the kind of case for which clemency was designed... Procedural limitations of collateral proceedings since Mr. Teleguz’s trial have prevented the courts from making a full and fair assessment of the new evidence and the propriety of Mr. Teleguz’s conviction and death sentence.”

Elizabeth Peiffer,a lawyer for Teleguz, offered this statement: “Governor McAuliffe now has the opportunity to show that the Commonwealth only applies the ultimate sanction when it is done fairly. In this case—where new evidence jurors never had a chance to consider shows that Mr. Teleguz’s conviction and death sentence are based on false testimony—Governor McAuliffe should protect the integrity of the ultimate sanction and grant clemency to ensure that Virginia does not execute an innocent man.”

You can read the full press release from Teleguz's attorneys

.

Teleguz and his attorneys had previously appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit for a stay of execution, but the court decided against that move. The Supreme Court chose not hear the case.

WHSV has been following the Teleguz case for over a decade, and you can find much of our coverage in the Related Stories section of this article.

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On Thursday, March 16, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit issued a decision denying a stay of execution for Ivan Teleguz, the Rockingham County man convicted of a murder-for-hire plot in 2006.

Teleguz - who allegedly hired another man to kill his ex-girlfriend, Stephanie Sipe, in Harrisonburg - has had his execution date

for appeals, lack of lethal injection drugs, and pleas to Governor McAuliffe for clemency.

Last week, Teleguz's lawyers filed a motion to stay his

in order for the Supreme Court to have time to review his appeal.

Following the court's decision, Elizabeth Peiffer, a lawyer for Teleguz, said, "Although we are disappointed that the Court has denied Mr. Teleguz the stay that would ensure his constitutional claims are considered by the Supreme Court of the United States in the manner prescribed by law before the Commonwealth of Virginia executes Mr. Teleguz, we are hopeful that Governor McAuliffe will intervene, and ensure that the Commonwealth of Virginia does not execute an innocent man in the face of so many questions about the reliability of Mr. Teleguz’s conviction and death sentence.”

His attorneys argue that new evidence points to his innocence and has never been fully examined in court.

Now, Teleguz will petition Governor Terry McAuliffe to halt his execution.

More than 113,000 people have signed a Change.org petition asking the Governor to prevent Ivan Teleguz’s execution.

This is Teleguz's last chance to avoid execution on April 25. WHSV has been following this case for over a decade, and you can find much our coverage in the

of this page.

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Monday, Ivan Teleguz's attorneys filed another motion to stay his scheduled execution date for April 25, after Virginia's Attorney General Mark Herring's office denied their first request.

They say Teleguz has not met all of the standards to grant a stay.

However, his attorneys claim strong evidence to support Teleguz's innocence.

If Teleguz's execution is not stayed, he will again appeal to Gov. McAuliffe for clemency.

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Virginia's Attorney General Mark Herring is expected to file a response today to requests from the attorneys of Ivan Teleguz.

Earlier this week, Teleguz's lawyers filed a motion to stay his

.

They're asking the 4th Circuit United States Court of Appeals to wait until the Supreme Court reconsiders their argument that Teleguz was denied the right to effective counsel in his initial trial.

Herring's response is expected around noon. If Teleguz's execution is not stayed, he will again appeal to Gov. McAuliffe for clemency.

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Ivan Teleguz is asking a federal appeals court to put his April execution on hold.

Teleguz - a Rockingham County man convicted in 2006 of hiring another man to kill his ex-girlfriend, Stephanie Sipe, in Harrisonburg - has had his execution date

for appeals, lack of lethal injection drugs, and pleas to Governor McAuliffe for clemency.

His attorneys filed a motion Tuesday with the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. They want the court to stay his execution so the U.S. Supreme Court can review their argument that he was denied the right to effective counsel.

Teleguz maintains that he is innocent, and petitions supporting him continue to gain signatures.

WHSV has been following the Teleguz case for over a decade, and you can find much of our coverage in the Related Stories section of this article.

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A Rockingham County man is set to be executed after being convicted of a murder-for-hire plot, but attorney's for Ivan Teleguz are still maintaining his innocence and are planning their next steps before April 25.

They say for the next 59 days leading up to Teleguz's scheduled execution date, they will not stop fighting for justice.

An attorney for the Virginia Capital Representation Resource Center, one of the law firms representing Teleguz, said they and Kirkland & Ellis, LLP, will file a petition for clemency with Governor McAuliffe, asking him to look at all of the evidence in Teleguz's case.

They believe because two of the three witnesses in the case recanted their testimonies, Teleguz's original sentence was based on lies.

"The witnesses have come forward and admitted they lied. We feel there's just too much doubt. Even if the governor defines that Ivan has not proven his innocence, there's just too much doubt to continue with the execution and allow a potential innocent man will be killed by the state of Virginia," Elizabeth Peiffer, an attorney for VCRRC said.

Back in October, a federal judge ruled that the affidavits in which the witnesses recanted their previous testimony were unreliable.

The VCRRC, along with other groups, started a petition called 'Justice for Ivan'. So far, they have received over 111, 000 signatures from people claiming Teleguz's innocence.

Peiffer said those numbers grow daily, which they plan to include in the clemency petition.

Peiffer said once the petition for clemency is filed, the time it takes for Governor McAuliffe to make a decision could be issued just weeks before an execution.