Daughter of Deputy Seeks Clemency for Killer

The daughter of a slain Montgomery County Sheriff's deputy has asked Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe to spare his killer's life.

Rachel Sutphin, the daughter of Deputy Eric Sutphin, sent a letter to the governor this week showing her support for clemency for William C. Morva, according to The Richmond Times-Dispatch.

"I am against the death penalty for religious and moral reasons," she wrote in an email sent to members of the media on Wednesday. "I have fought and will continue to fight for clemency for all death row inmates until Virginia declares the death penalty unconstitutional."

Morva, 35, is set to die by injection Thursday at the Greensville Correctional Center. His lawyers have asked that the death sentence be commuted to life without parole, arguing that he suffers from delusional disorder.

Morva escaped from a hospital in August 2006 where he was taken for treatment before he killed unarmed security guard Derrick McFarland. The following day Sutphin, who was searching for the escaped inmate, was fatally shot in the back of his head.