On September 23, 2010, 41-year-old Teresa Lewis became the first woman put to death by lethal injection in Virginia. She was convicted and given the death penalty for arranging the murders of her husband Julian and her stepson Charles in 2002. Charles, an Army reservist, had taken out a $250,000 life insurance policy in preparation for a tour of duty in Iraq. He had named his father as the prime beneficiary and Lewis as the secondary. Lewis, seeking to benefit from the policy, gave two men she was sexually involved with $1,200 to kill her husband and Charles. She was present in the house when the two men entered and shot Julian and Charles to death while they slept in their beds. Lewis reported the attack as a home invasion robbery, but not before taking money out of her husband's wallet. After she was caught trying to cash a forged $50,000 check in Julian's name, Lewis confessed to arranging the murder.

After an appeal for clemency was denied, Lewis' execution was carried out as planned. In her final words, she addressed her stepdaughter Kathy, who was present to witness the execution, "I just want Kathy to know that I love you, and I'm very sorry."