Woman Condemned

The first new woman on death row in 2012 will most likely be Virginian  Lorie Ann Taylor Keller of Fulks Run. She is charged in the 2009 murders of an entire West Virginia family after which she tried to convince her husband, Nakia Keller, to commit suicide in order to make it look like he was the one fully responsible.

The family was that of her ex-husband, Chip Taylor, his wife and their 5 year old daughter. Court records show that Lorie asked the two children she shared with Chip to draw maps and diagrams of their fathers home.

She traveled over state lines to commit the murder so she will be considered a federal case. The same is true of Angela Jonhson.  They are not seeking the death penalty against her husband. This is a bone of some contention among defense folks.

The federal government has not executed a woman since 1953. States have executed 12 women since 1976, including Teresa Lewis in Virginia in 2010.