Sponsored by Missourians to Abolish the Death Penalty
P.O. Box 54
Jefferson City, MO 65102
573-635-7239
| SueZann Bosler In December 1986, SueZann's father, Rev. Billy Bosler, was fatally stabbed in his Carol City, Florida, parsonage by James Campbell, who also attempted to kill SueZann. Campbell was sentenced to death two years later. SueZann's memory of her father's life as a Brethren minister and his strong opposition to the death penalty influenced her to fight to have James Campbell's death sentence overturned. She succeeded. "I do not hate this person for what he has done. . . . If I wanted him dead, it would not only destroy him but myself." | |
| | Pat Clark's uncle Robert and cousin Dot were murdered when she was a young girl. She has worked against the death penalty in many capacities over the years and currently serves as the Director of the Criminal Justice program of the American Friends Service Committee in Philadelphia. She says, "I had aunts and uncles who wanted to personally wreak havoc and vengeance on the perpetrators. But my grandmother's response to the anger and the outrage of other family members was that no human being had a right to determine who should live or die. My grandmother's loving example helped lay the foundation of my opposition to capital punishment." |
| Renny Cushing's father, Robert, was murdered in his New Hampshire home in front of his mother Marie. A decade later, State Representative Renny Cushing co-sponsored a bill in the state house to abolish the death penalty. Renny told his painful journey of healing from violence: "Proponents of the death penalty say, if you simply extinguish the life of someone who took a life that will be a healing event. The reality is that healing is a process that will go on for the rest of our lives." | |
| Marietta Jaeger Lane lost her 7-year-old daughter to murder in 1973. Her daughter Susie was abducted during a family vacation in Montana. At first Marietta could have killed the abductor "with my bare hands and a smile on my face". Later she realized this kidnapper, whoever he was, was loved by the same God that loved Susie. A year later the kidnapper called Marietta to taunt her but Marietta had prayed for healing and forgiveness. She disarmed him by asking what she could do to lift this heavy burden from his shoulders. He broke down in tears and was later apprehended because of this phone call. Marietta speaks out against the death penalty around the world. "Loved ones wrenched from our lives by violent crime, deserve more beautiful, noble and honorable memorials than premedidated state-sanctioned killings." |
| Bill Pelke at first supported the death penalty for 15-year-old Paula Cooper, who had killed his grandmother in Gary, Indiana. But an inner vision of Paula crying compelled Pelke to contact the Cooper family, to write to Paula in prison saying he forgave her, and to lead an international campaign to get Paula off death row. She was resentenced to 60 years in prison. Bill said, "I thought about my grandmother's faith and what the Bible taught about forgiveness. I knew Nana would not have wanted Paula put to death." | |
| | Lois and Ken Robison of Burlison, Texas, tried in vain for many years to get mental health help for their paranoid-schizophrenic son, Larry. Hospitals routinely released him after 30 days, saying that Larry represented no threat. They said they could not do anything until he did something bad. Larry's first and only act of violence was to kill five people. Despite the well-documented history of mental illness, Larry was declared sane and sentenced to death. He was executed January 21, 2000. |
| Kristi Smith. In December 1978, her father, James K. Edwards, was killed by three men. All were caught, convicted, and imprisoned. Many years later Kristi began to correspond with one of these men, telling him she forgave him. She visited him in prison and when he was paroled she waited for him at the prison gate. "If they had the death penalty in Kansas at that time, I wouldn't have been able to work through these things. It is because of God's love and my Dad that I can forgive these men." | |
| | Bud Welch lost his daughter Julie in the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995. Julie's body was the last body recovered. Bud, a life-long opponent of the death penalty, was plunged into rage, hate and revenge. Several months later he was reminded of Julie's words about an execution. Julie had said, "It was only teaching children to hate." Bud began speaking out against the death sentence for Tim McVeigh. Bud met with Tim's father and shared their sense of loss together as victims of a senseless act of violence. "The death penalty is about revenge and hate. To truly follow Christ as I feel I try to do, I think we must ask ourselves, would Jesus pull the switch? I don't think he would." |
| George White's wife, Char, was murdered in 1985 by a man robbing his business in Enterprise, Alabama. George was shot three times and left for dead. Sixteen months later, local officials, unable to find other suspects, charged George with murder. He was tried, convicted, and sentenced to life. After two years in prison he was set free when the state's high court ruled his trial a mockery. "Today, I can look into the faces of our children and smile as I see (Char's) reflection. Her life should be celebrated rather than mourned." Even if the killer is found, "not in our name will you kill, our hearts have bled enough." | |
*Contact State Coordinators Jeff Stack or Tom Block if you need speakers in other cities.
11:00 a.m.: Gathering on the south lawn of the State Capitol, facing High Street.
Folk singers Charlie King and Karen Brandow will gather us together. Murder
victim family members will urge us toward alternatives to the death penalty.
11:45 a.m.: Demonstration around the state capitol. NOTE: Bring signs or banners or blank
placards and markers to make signs. Stick-held signs are prohibited by State Capitol permit.
12:15 p.m.: Sister Helen Prejean, C.S.J., will give keynote address in the Capitol Rotunda.
Sr. Helen is the author of Dead Man Walking and an internationally acclaimed advocate for the
abolition of the death penalty.
1:30 p.m.: Meet your legislators inside the Capitol building.
3:00 p.m.: Sending forth on south lawn.
Suggestion: Vending machines are available at the Capitol, or plan on bringing a sack lunch. We also recommend that you wear comfortable shoes.
| Note: Sr. Helen Prejean will give a talk at the University of Missouri, Columbia,
Tuesday night, April 3, 7:00 p.m. Contact Jeff Stack, 573-449-4585. |  |
The Journey of Hope . . . From Violence to Healing is possibly the most potent tool in the effort to educate the public about the death penalty. But this is a massive undertaking with significant expense for meals, transportation, housing, events, events and publicity. We need your financial assistance!
You can give a tax-deductible contribution through the Eastern Missouri Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, a 501(c)3 organization. Make your check out to "EMCADP", mark it for the Journey of Hope, and mail to EMCADP, 1408 S. Tenth St., St. Louis, MO 63104.