Material for November 21, 2019
Murder Victim Family Member Press Conference
There is a widely accepted myth that only the execution of a killer can bring
“closure” to family members of murder victims.
Some prosecutors propagate this myth by insisting that only death of the
perpetrator will give justice to murder victim family members.
Today thirteen Virginians who have experienced the horror of homicide are
releasing a statement saying that - far from bringing mythical “closure” -
the death penalty fails victims’ families in many ways.
Mandatory court appeals in death penalty cases take many years. The
media turns the perpetrator into a celebrity while the victim’s family
is traumatized again and again.
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.
Seeking the death penalty in capital murder cases is inefficient,
ineffective, and traumatic for many murder victim families.
Today these thirteen murder victim family members call on the
Virginia General Assembly to abolish the death penalty and replace it
with life in prison without the possibility of parole.
The featured speaker at the press conference is Rachel Sutphin of
Christiansburg whose father - Corporal Eric E. Sutphin (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.
Quotes from family members who endorsed the 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
