VIRGINIANS FOR
f ALTERNATIVES
TO THE DEATH PENALTY
**MEDIA ALERT***
Virginia Murder Victim Family Members Call for
WHO:
WHAT:
WHEN:
WHERE:
CONTACT:
Death Penalty Abolition
Virginians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty (VADP)
Thirteen Virginians who have lost a family member to
homicide are asking the General Assembly to make
Virginia the 22 state to abolish the death penalty.
These citizens have come to understand that, far from
bringing “closure” to their grief, the death penalty brings
only more trauma to their lives, as well as being an
inefficient and ineffective means of justice.
Rachel Sutphin of Christiansburg, whose father —
Corporal Eric E. Sutphin of the Montgomery County
Sheriff's Office — was killed in Blacksburg on August 6,
2006, will speak in favor of replacing Virginia’s death
penalty with life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Her father’s killer, William Morva, was executed in 2017
by the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Thursday, November 21, 2019 at 10:00 a.m.
St. Paul’s Catholic Church
909 Rennie Avenue (corner of Chamberlayne Ave)
Richmond, VA 23227
Michael Stone, Executive Director
Virginians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty
(434) 960-7779
Murder Victim Family Members Press Conference
November 21, 2019
Remarks by Michael Stone
Good morning. My name is Michael Stone and I am Executive Director of Virginians for
Alternatives to the Death Penalty (VADP).
The first documented execution in what is now the United states took place in Jamestown
when Captain George Kendall was executed for spying in 1608. Throughout its history as
a colony and a state, Virginia has executed more than 1,300 people, the most of any other
state. Virginia has also executed more women and the youngest children of any state.
Since 1976, when the U.S. Supreme Court allowed the death penalty to resume after a
three-year hiatus, Virginia has executed 113 people, second only to Texas in the United
States.
In the 1990's six to ten people were sentenced to death annually. As many as fourteen
were put to death in a single year.
But times have changed. In the past thirteen years nine states have ended capital
punishment. Since 1973, 166 people sentenced to death in the United States were later
found to be innocent. In that same period of time 1,510 people have been executed.
That's a ratio of one innocent person sentenced to death for every nine executed.
Here in Virginia there is growing opposition to use of the death penalty. Nearly two-
thirds of the state's 133 local jurisdictions have not had an execution in over 50 years. No
one has been sentenced to death in the Commonwealth since September of 2011, over
eight years ago.
There are only two men on Virginia's death row, and the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals
has remanded both of their cases to lower courts to consider whether errors in their trials
should overturn their death sentences. It is entirely possible that Virginia’s death row
will be empty within a year.
There have been a growing chorus of voices here in the Commonwealth voicing their
Opposition to capital punishment. Leaders in almost every faith tradition oppose capital
punishment. Young conservatives increasingly view the death penalty as a misguided
public policy by an over-reaching government that is unnecessary, expensive, arbitrary,
and degrading to human life and dignity.
Today we are here to highlight 13 courageous family members of murder victims in
Virginia. They have banded together and endorsed a sign-on letter calling on the General
Assembly to abolish the death penalty.
Many other victim family members oppose capital punishment, but were unwilling to
sign a public statement for a variety of personal reasons.
I now want to introduce Rachel Sutphin. Her father - Corporal Eric E. Sutphin with the
Montgomery County Sheriff's Office — was killed in Blacksburg during a manhunt for
William Morva on August 6, 2006. Ms. Sutphin pleaded with then-Governor Terry
McAuliffe to spare the life of Morva and reduce his sentence to life in prison without
parole. She never received a response to her plea and Morva was executed on July 6,
2017.
Rachel wants to share her experience and explain why she as the daughter of a murder
victim sees the death penalty as inefficient, ineffective, and traumatic for many murder
victim families.
Murder Victim Family Members Press Conference
November 21, 2019
Remarks by Rachel Sutphin
Good morning. My name is Rachel Sutphin.
My father was killed in 2006, when I was nine years old. Despite being so young, I still
think about him every day. I think about his love for practical jokes and for building
anything from Lincoln Logs to tree houses. I think about him singing in the kitchen and
on the way to school. I remember our numerous camping trips — catching crawdads in
the creek and spending time looking up at the stars.
It was my dad who taught me how to ride a bike and brush my hair. It was my dad who
would pick me up from Sunday School and coached my church baseball team. I was
proud of my dad- proud of his Medal of Valor, proud of his annual memorial programs
for National Police Week, and proud of his stick-figure drawings that he would put in my
lunchbox every day.
On August 21st, 2006, my father, Corporal Eric Sutphin, was gunned down by William
Morva after a massive manhunt in Blacksburg, VA. For the ten years following, I heard
of the lengthy trial and series of appeals. Again and again I heard the details of my dad’s
death. I was plagued by all of the uncertainty and was repeatedly forced to relive the
worst day of my life.
Toward the end of the trial, I heard questions surrounding Mr. Morva’s mental health.
Despite these concerns, the judge set an execution date. My moral and religious
convictions led me to plead with Governor Terry McAuliffe to change Mr. Morva’s
sentence to life without parole. I believed clemency and a change in sentence was a fair
and just punishment. However, I heard no answer from Governor McAuliffe and Mr.
Morva was executed by lethal injection on July 6, 2017.
In theory, the death penalty may make sense: people who commit heinous acts forfeit
their right to live. However, in my experience, the death penalty is not that simple, and it
is inconsistent with the basic responsibilities of the government. Instead, I have
experienced the death penalty to be an ineffective, outdated punishment. Mr. Morva’s
execution brought no solace to me, but, instead, it strengthened my resolve that the death
penalty needs to be abolished.
With the abolition of the death penalty, families like mine will no longer suffer through
the long process of mandatory death sentence appeals. Instead, a sentence of life in
prison without parole offers a resolution and legal finality to murder victim family
members more quickly than the death penalty. By saving time and resources from not
pursuing or carrying out the death penalty, the Commonwealth would be better able to
serve victim family members as they adjust to their new normal by offering much-needed
services and counseling.
As the Virginia General Assembly prepares to convene for a new legislative session, I
wish to tell Virginia voters and government officials my story and my desire for the end
of the death penalty in Virginia. It is time for the death penalty to be abolished in order
to better care for the victim’s family members, to better serve the public good, and to
protect human life. I will continue writing and speaking until such a day comes.
Thank you.
Rachel Sutphin is a second-year student at Columbia Theological Seminary within the
Master of Divinity and Master of Arts of Practical Theology programs.
Virginia Murder Victim Family Members Call for Death Penalty Abolition
A Sign-on Letter
November 21, 2019
Each of us has lost a family member to homicide. At a moment none of us could have
predicted or prepared for, tragedy robbed from us children, parents, spouses, brothers and
sisters, and other family members.
Our direct experiences with the criminal justice system and struggling with grief have led
us all to the same conclusion: Virginia’s death penalty fails victims’ families.
We never asked to be in this position and would do anything to change it. We realize,
however, that nothing can erase the pain that a senseless act of violence brought into our
lives. But we can honor the memory of our loved ones and other families who may face
tragedy by working for effective responses to violence.
Our Commonwealth has an inefficient and ineffective death penalty system. Criminal
justice funding for expensive capital murder trials could be better spent on much needed
and currently underfunded support programs that help victims’ families with funeral
costs, counseling and other services.
Capital cases take many years to reach completion, forcing our families to deal with
mandatory court appeals and the legal system much longer than with a non-capital trial or
a plea bargain. The media replays the details of the crime each time. The defendant is
turned into a celebrity while the victim’s family is traumatized again and again.
The death penalty is said to be reserved for “particularly heinous murders.” We have
difficulty understanding this position. The implication is that other murders are
“ordinary.” From experience we can tell you that, to victims’ families, every murder is
heinous.
Seeking the death penalty in capital murder cases is inefficient, ineffective, and traumatic
for many families like ours.
We call on the Virginia General Assembly to abolish the death penalty and replace it with
life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Murder Victim Family Member Press Conference
November 21, 2019
Quotes from family members who endorsed the sign-on letter
I long for the day when the government stops killing its own people in the name of justice. True
justice does not deny human rights. True justice takes all lawful measures to preserve life. May
justice come and bring healing to the families of the victims and perpetrators alike.
— Rachel Sutphin, Christiansburg. Her father — Corporal Eric E. Sutphin
(Montgomery County Sheriff's Office) — was killed in Blacksburg on August 6, 2006.
Jamie was such a vibrant person, always trying to make those around him better. He didn’t
have a vengeful bone in his body. To have someone killed by the State in his name wouldn’t
bring him back and would be an insult to his memory.
— Dave Knight, Alexandria. His brother — James “Jamie” Knight — was killed
during a robbery in Richmond, Virginia on January 31, 1997.
In 2001 I lost my dad and step-mom to a brutal murder. To think that a person could be killed to
seek justice for me doesn’t align with my beliefs and is a burden I carry. The thought that
another family would have to grieve the death of their loved one for me is haunting. The death
penalty won’t honor my dad and step-mom, or bring any sort of healing.
— Linell Patterson, Harrisonburg. Her father and stepmother — Terry & Lucy Smith —
were killed in Ephrata, PA on September 6, 2001.
Capital punishment doesn’t punish the guilty. It ends their punishment. The death penalty
instead punishes the innocent family members of the executed person who are left behind to
bury their dead relative.
— Ryan Nixon, Norfolk. His sister — Christy Anne Nixon — was murdered by
Richmond gang members on October 17, 2005.
I have always opposed the death penalty. No matter your belief, state authorized murder is
intuitively wrong. My son was murdered. I begged the authorities not to kill his murderer, but
they did anyhow.
— Michael Berg, Norfolk. His son, Nick Berg, was a nonmilitary contractor working
in Iraq when he was killed on May 7, 2004.
I continue to believe the death penalty is a violation of our human rights and poses the danger
of killing an innocent person. As the mother of a murder victim, I oppose the taking of a
human life as a punishment for the loss of my daughter.
— Neva Herrington, Williamsburg. Her daughter, Elizabeth Herrington, was
murdered in Fredericksburg on November 3, 1994.
It took decades for me to shed the hate for my brother’s killer. But a revenge murder would not
have brought my brother back.
— Ed Morrison, Harrisonburg. His brother — Michael P. Morrison — was murdered in
Mascoutah, IL on May 4, 1969.
My faith has led me to the belief that all life is sacred, even that of my father’s killer; I
cannot condone the death penalty.
— Bobbi Johnson, Rockville. Her father — David H. Rollins, Sr. — was murdered in
Rockville, Virginia on June 10, 1988
Virginia Murder Victim Family Members Call for Death Penalty Abolition
A Sign-on Letter
List of Signatories
Rachel Sutphin
Christiansburg Cpl. Eric E. Sutphin Daughter Blacksburg August 6, 2006
Montgomery County
Sheriff's Office
Linell Patterson Harrisonburg Terry & Lucy Smith Daughter Ephrata, PA September 6, 2001
Ed Morrison Harrisonburg Michael P. Morrison Brother Mascoutah, IL May 4, 1969
Bobbi Johnson Rockville David H. Rollins, Sr. Daughter Rockville June 10, 1988
Nancy Gowen Richmond Mary Weems Gowen Daughter Richmond July 2, 1979
Jean Knight Richmond James “Jamie” Knight Mother Richmond January 31, 1997
David Knight Richmond James “Jamie” Knight Father Richmond January 31, 1997
Dave Knight Alexandria James “Jamie” Knight Brother Richmond January 31, 1997
George White Reston Charlene White Husband Enterprise, AL | February 27, 1985
Sen. Janet Howell Reston = Daughter-in-law a 1996
Neva Herrington Williamsburg Elizabeth Herrington Mother Fredericksburg | November 3, 1994
Ryan Nixon Norfolk Christy Anne Nixon Brother Richmond October 17, 2005
Michael Berg Norfolk Nick Berg Father Traq May 7, 2004
(nonmilitary)
