A Mississippi woman still faces the death penalty, even though her male accomplice is serving life for the same crimes.
Lisa Jo Chamberlin and her former boyfriend Roger Gillett murdered Gillett's cousin, 34-year-old Vernon Hulett, and his girlfriend, 37-year-old Linda Heintzelman, in Hulett's home in March 2004, the Clarion Ledger reported.
Chamberlin has said that Gillett abused her and has asserted that her actions were the result of Gillett's control over her at the time. Gillett was also sentenced to death, but that sentence was overturned, and he is now serving life. Chamberlin still faces death.
Chamberlin, the only woman on Mississippi's death row, argued to the state's supreme court that new evidence showed she "acted under extreme distress or under the substantial domination of another person," the newspaper reported.
However, the court ruled that Chamberlin's request was time-barred - it was too late to be considered - and that aspects of her argument had previously been rejected.
"Unless Chamberlin can show that her claims are excepted, they are barred as untimely," the newspaper quoted the opinion. "Additionally, for Chamberlin to reframe an issue that has been considered and rejected in earlier proceedings is generally impermissible."
