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Victim Voices

Excellent Opinion Piece Published in the Emporia Gazette

  On December 16, 2011, the Emporia Gazette published a column by Bob Grover entitled, "Abolish the death penalty in Kansas" which outlined many reasons that the death penalty in Kansas should be replaced with life in prison without the possibility of parole.   Grover approaches this topic from a variety of angles, including cost, deterrence, fairness, and … [Read more...] about Excellent Opinion Piece Published in the Emporia Gazette

Victim Voices: Marilyn J. Trechter "My Own Journey As an Abolitionist"

TO ACT JUSTLY, TO LOVE MERCY AND TO WALK HUMBLY My Own Journey As An Abolitionist by Marilyn J. Trechter My own journey toward abolition actually began on April 4, 1968.  On the day before my sixteenth birthday, Martin Luther King, Jr. was murdered. What impressed me was that I was so saddened by the riots that occurred as a response to the murder.  This man was an Apostle … [Read more...] about Victim Voices: Marilyn J. Trechter "My Own Journey As an Abolitionist"

Victim Voices: Celeste Dixon

"In 1986 my mother was raped and murdered in her rural home outside Houston. The murderer was eventually convicted and sentenced to death, an outcome I was initially happy with.  Eventually I realized killing him was not going to bring her back. I forgave this man for what he had done—not for him, but for me. I realized supporting the death penalty meant that I was actively … [Read more...] about Victim Voices: Celeste Dixon

Victim Voices: Carol Samuelson

"When my 28 year old daughter Amy was murdered by the father of her 22 month old son, I had to rethink my belief in capital punishment. Some day his son will ask about his birth dad, and I would have to explain everything to him. How could I explain his father was killed because he killed Amy? If I cannot explain the logic of the death penalty to a child, then it is wrong. I … [Read more...] about Victim Voices: Carol Samuelson

Victim Voices: Candy Ruff

"Because my brother was murdered in 1982, I am often asked if I want his perpetrator to be punished with the death penalty. My unequivocal answer is NO. My faith confirms my belief that the person who took my brother's life will pay for his crime in the here after. The punishment the Lord has in mind is much harsher than anything our legal system could inflict on earth. … [Read more...] about Victim Voices: Candy Ruff

Victim Voices: Sue Norton

"The execution of Robert Knighton in 2003 was another crisis in my life, another trauma to heal from. He had been convicted of murdering my Daddy and Step-mother in 1990. My husband and I watched that execution not for vengeance but as a form of support since I had become the man’s only friend. Our immediate family had befriended him, all on different levels. I forgave him … [Read more...] about Victim Voices: Sue Norton

Victim Voices: Bob and Ruth Hessman

"Four years before he was executed, we began to correspond with Gregg Braun who killed our daughter, Mary. At first, he was belligerent with us; but later he began to release his bitterness, eventually expressing regret and apologized for killing her. We didn’t find forgiveness just by saying, ‘We forgive’ and moving on. We found we needed to start each day with a prayer of … [Read more...] about Victim Voices: Bob and Ruth Hessman

Murder Victim's Mother Says Death Penalty Isn't the Answer

In a letter to the editor published in the July 18, 2006, issue of the Newton Kansan, Wilma Loganbill of Hesston told of her feelings on the death of her son and punishment for his killer. "Murder leaves a multitude of emotions and pain is the worst. A pain so deep, high and wide, no words are big enough to describe it. You can't get around or through it. And then there is … [Read more...] about Murder Victim's Mother Says Death Penalty Isn't the Answer