Life or Death Decision

By Angela Hatcher
WSLS10 Reporter/Anchor
Published: March 12, 2008

When sister Helen Prejean steps off the plane at Roanoke Regional Airport, one of the first things she does is pick up a paper to read about the William Morva trial.
As the author of ‘Dead Man Walking’, Prejean literally wrote the book on opposing the death penalty.

On the night before the day we could learn whether Morva lives or dies, Prejean speaks to this crowd at Roanoke College.  She says often juries are made to feel the death penalty is their only choice.

“The jury is going to be hard pressed to say less than that ultimate punishment will be given in light of such a loss and trauma.  They could easily feel that they are slighting the victims families by not giving the ultimate penalty.“, says Prejean.

“If you kill somebody you need to suffer the consequences.“, says Jimmy Brugh   “It’s pretty plain and simple he committed the crime.“

“I don’t know that I believe that the answer is to take a life for a life.“, says Toni Stroter.

It’s not that simple for Toni Stroter.  When she sees widows crying on the stand or when she thinks of children without their fathers.

“It rips me to pieces. That’s why I say I’m undecided when you see things like that. But do they really get any compensation for taking his life?  Does that, does that ease their pain?, says Stroter.
Prejean says it does not, that having the death penalty on the table only creates anguish for the men and women who have to decide this man’s fate.

“We get in unfathomable depths of loss and grief and it’s beyond us as human beings to try to sort that out.“, says Prejean.