Group of Murder Victim Family Members Calls for Immediate Moratorium on Executions
Posted: July 07, 2004
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 7, 2004
CONTACTS
Tom Fewel, (919) 622-1791; tfewel@erisoft.com
John Strange, (919) 933-7567; jstrange@ncmn.org
Group of Murder Victim Family Members Calls for Immediate Moratorium on Executions
RALEIGH — Twenty-one family members of murder victims today said they are "troubled" by problems in the North Carolina justice system and called on the N.C. House of Representatives to pass the bill for a two-year suspension of executions while the legislature studies the state's death penalty system.
"We are troubled by cases in which inadequate representation or prosecutorial misconduct led to innocent people being sent to our North Carolina Death Row. We are troubled by the ongoing evidence that our death penalty system is plagued by class and racial bias," they said in a letter to the House.
"The criminal justice system cannot assuage the sorrow of a murder victim’s family, but the system should demonstrate to us that it is just and fair."
The bill passed the N.C. Senate last spring. A statewide poll shows that North Carolinians support a temporary halt to executions by more than two-to-one.
###
July 7, 2004
North Carolina House of Representatives
Raleigh, NC
Dear Representative,
We North Carolinians are parents of murdered children, sons and daughters of murdered parents, and survivors of murdered brothers and sisters and others. As such, we have a special interest in the proposed moratorium on executions and accompanying legislative study of capital sentencing. We urge you and your colleagues in the House to support the moratorium and study bill. We write also to let you know that no single organization or group can speak for all victims on this issue. We know many victims who support a moratorium.
We are troubled by cases in which inadequate representation or prosecutorial misconduct led to innocent people being sent to our North Carolina Death Row. We are troubled by the ongoing evidence that our death penalty system is plagued by class and racial bias.
When we learn about innocent people on our Death Row, we wonder what went wrong in those cases. Perhaps there had been some small mistake that somehow got compounded in the process, and then somehow got defended by the system, and ultimately led us toward tragic consequences. This seems to happen all too often.
The moratorium and study bill represents an appropriate commitment by the legislature to review the possible causes of unjust death sentences. If the study finds problems, legislative action will likely be required to correct them. To us, the temporary halt to executions that a moratorium would provide is an indispensable part of the proposal; the significance of this undertaking demands it. We would do no less in other aspects of our society when human life is at stake.
The criminal justice system cannot assuage the sorrow of a murder victim’s family, but the system should demonstrate to us that it is just and fair. Are there measures the legislature should consider to decrease the likelihood of improperly sentencing someone to death? Please find out; no one wants to execute an innocent person or condemn someone unfairly.
We call on you and all our legislators to stop the executions temporarily while we find out how these mistakes happen.
Let’s restore justice to the system. That’s what murder victims' families need and what North Carolina demands.
Sincerely,
Vivian and Nathaniel Birth, Rocky Mount, parents of murdered son, Styron
Charisse Coleman, Durham, sister of murdered brother, Russell
Bernice Darnell, Maggie Valley, mother of murdered daughter, Bonnie
Carol Dreiling, Asheville, daughter of murdered parents, Joan and Fred
Tom Fewel and Joy Wood, Chapel Hill, parents of murdered eight-year-old daughter, Jean
Leslie Ford, Asheville, wife of murdered husband, Lawrence
Margaret Fullwood, Asheville, mother of murdered son, Daniel
Stephanie Hunter, Durham, niece of murdered uncle, Joseph
Vincent Todd Lacy, Jamesville, son of murdered mother, Evangeline
Kathryn McCoy, Chapel Hill, mother of murdered daughter, Kathy Lu
Pat McCoy, Chapel Hill, brother of murdered sister, Kathy Lu
Toby McCoy, Chapel Hill, brother of murdered sister, Kathy Lu
Della McDougald, Fayetteville, sister of murdered brother, Daniel Kirk, Sr.
Regina Miller, Asheville, mother of murdered daughter, Tanisha
Patricia C. Parker, Asheville, sister of murdered brother, Wendell
Jean Parks, Asheville, sister of murdered sister, Betsey
Kathy Squires, Asheville, sister of murdered brother, Jim
Judith Toy, Black Mountain, sister-in-law and aunt of murdered sister-in-law and nephews, Louise, Doug and Danny
Robbie J. Williams, Arden, mother of murdered son, Willie Devon
July 7, 2004
CONTACTS
Tom Fewel, (919) 622-1791; tfewel@erisoft.com
John Strange, (919) 933-7567; jstrange@ncmn.org
Group of Murder Victim Family Members Calls for Immediate Moratorium on Executions
RALEIGH — Twenty-one family members of murder victims today said they are "troubled" by problems in the North Carolina justice system and called on the N.C. House of Representatives to pass the bill for a two-year suspension of executions while the legislature studies the state's death penalty system.
"We are troubled by cases in which inadequate representation or prosecutorial misconduct led to innocent people being sent to our North Carolina Death Row. We are troubled by the ongoing evidence that our death penalty system is plagued by class and racial bias," they said in a letter to the House.
"The criminal justice system cannot assuage the sorrow of a murder victim’s family, but the system should demonstrate to us that it is just and fair."
The bill passed the N.C. Senate last spring. A statewide poll shows that North Carolinians support a temporary halt to executions by more than two-to-one.
###
July 7, 2004
North Carolina House of Representatives
Raleigh, NC
Dear Representative,
We North Carolinians are parents of murdered children, sons and daughters of murdered parents, and survivors of murdered brothers and sisters and others. As such, we have a special interest in the proposed moratorium on executions and accompanying legislative study of capital sentencing. We urge you and your colleagues in the House to support the moratorium and study bill. We write also to let you know that no single organization or group can speak for all victims on this issue. We know many victims who support a moratorium.
We are troubled by cases in which inadequate representation or prosecutorial misconduct led to innocent people being sent to our North Carolina Death Row. We are troubled by the ongoing evidence that our death penalty system is plagued by class and racial bias.
When we learn about innocent people on our Death Row, we wonder what went wrong in those cases. Perhaps there had been some small mistake that somehow got compounded in the process, and then somehow got defended by the system, and ultimately led us toward tragic consequences. This seems to happen all too often.
The moratorium and study bill represents an appropriate commitment by the legislature to review the possible causes of unjust death sentences. If the study finds problems, legislative action will likely be required to correct them. To us, the temporary halt to executions that a moratorium would provide is an indispensable part of the proposal; the significance of this undertaking demands it. We would do no less in other aspects of our society when human life is at stake.
The criminal justice system cannot assuage the sorrow of a murder victim’s family, but the system should demonstrate to us that it is just and fair. Are there measures the legislature should consider to decrease the likelihood of improperly sentencing someone to death? Please find out; no one wants to execute an innocent person or condemn someone unfairly.
We call on you and all our legislators to stop the executions temporarily while we find out how these mistakes happen.
Let’s restore justice to the system. That’s what murder victims' families need and what North Carolina demands.
Sincerely,
Vivian and Nathaniel Birth, Rocky Mount, parents of murdered son, Styron
Charisse Coleman, Durham, sister of murdered brother, Russell
Bernice Darnell, Maggie Valley, mother of murdered daughter, Bonnie
Carol Dreiling, Asheville, daughter of murdered parents, Joan and Fred
Tom Fewel and Joy Wood, Chapel Hill, parents of murdered eight-year-old daughter, Jean
Leslie Ford, Asheville, wife of murdered husband, Lawrence
Margaret Fullwood, Asheville, mother of murdered son, Daniel
Stephanie Hunter, Durham, niece of murdered uncle, Joseph
Vincent Todd Lacy, Jamesville, son of murdered mother, Evangeline
Kathryn McCoy, Chapel Hill, mother of murdered daughter, Kathy Lu
Pat McCoy, Chapel Hill, brother of murdered sister, Kathy Lu
Toby McCoy, Chapel Hill, brother of murdered sister, Kathy Lu
Della McDougald, Fayetteville, sister of murdered brother, Daniel Kirk, Sr.
Regina Miller, Asheville, mother of murdered daughter, Tanisha
Patricia C. Parker, Asheville, sister of murdered brother, Wendell
Jean Parks, Asheville, sister of murdered sister, Betsey
Kathy Squires, Asheville, sister of murdered brother, Jim
Judith Toy, Black Mountain, sister-in-law and aunt of murdered sister-in-law and nephews, Louise, Doug and Danny
Robbie J. Williams, Arden, mother of murdered son, Willie Devon