Why We Contribute to VADP
Dave Knight, Alexandria
As my wife and I were driving to Richmond early
on the morning that my brother Jamie was shot, I
vividly remembered our earlier conversations
about the death penalty.
Thad visions of standing out-
side a prison holding signs
decrying the execution of my
brother's killer. My wife and
I had discussed the reasons
why the death penalty doesn't
Lid “aad work and is unfair But what
ie sealed it for me was this:
Jamie was one of the most caring, friendly, out-
going, I'm-always-gonna-have-your-back person
I'd ever known. He was making the world a better
place with his life, and I did not want someone
killed in his name. It would have been an insult to
his memory.
I do remember feeling a sense of calm knowing
that when the situation was no longer academic,
that our convictions were steadfast then and now,
twenty-one years later.
That's why I'm happy to support VADP.
Cliff Maloney, President of
Young Americans for Liberty
VADP does phenomenal work in Virginia. They
take the very complex and
serious issue that is the
death penalty and they
clearly present the merits
of why we need to abolish
it in a way that reaches
everyday Virginians.
As a limited government
advocate, nothing is more important than stripping
the government's ability to legally kill a citizen. I
commend VADP on its work with this issue.
Rachel Sutphin, Christiansburg
My father, the late Corporal Eric Sutphin, was
killed by William Morva during a manhunt in
Blacksburg in 2006. When Morva’s execution
date was announced for July 2017, I was alarmed.
jo | wrote to the Governor and
other public officials urging
that he be granted clemency.
But Morva was executed.
Now I mourn for two people.
I mourn because I believe in
the sanctity of human life,
regardless of criminal record.
Therefore, I chose to share my story, as a victim’s
family member, to show my support for the work
of VADP.
I long for the day when the government stops kill-
ing 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.
Rey. Connie Clark, Earlysville
Ihave worked as a chaplain in
two state psychiatric hospitals.
I learned how people with se-
vere mental illness who com-
mit crimes can either be served
well by the state or served
poorly — to the point of death
through neglect or killing by
the death penalty.
iN
Knowing that so many people who wind up
charged with crimes and are imprisoned suffer
from mental illness, I am passionate about
preventing their execution.
But fundamentally, I am against killing in any
case, for any reason.
VADP 2017 Annual Report
Making Progress During 2017
Dear VADP Supporters,
20017 was an exciting year of significant progress
for VADP and the Virginia abolition movement.
Thanks to the outstanding work of
capital defense attorneys and the
advocacy of VADP supporters like
you, Ivan Teleguz and William
Burns were grant clemency. They
were released from death row and
now will serve life sentences.
Unfortunately, two others —Ricky
Gray and William Morva —were executed despite
massive appeals for clemency from the public, the
faith community, and mental health experts.
The Morva case, in particular, highlighted the
need for a new Virginia law to ban the execution
of people with severe mental illness. A coalition
of seven mental health organizations has joined
VADP and others to advocate for this common
sense reform with widespread public support.
The missing piece for VADP has long been the
lack of grassroots outreach in the southern and
western parts of the Commonwealth.
Thanks to a new $25,000 grant from the Sisters of
Bon Secours, VADP hired Dale Brumfield as our
full-time Field Director. A Staunton native, Dale
has extensive conservative ties throughout the
state. He has been working hard to educate and
build local support for abolition in places like
Martinsville, Lynchburg, and Winchester.
Virginia had another year with no death sentences.
It is now over six years since a jury sentenced
someone to death.
It is indeed a new day for Virginia. We need you
to continue responding to our action alerts, coming
to regional meetings and education events, and
making generous financial donations to our work.
— Michael Stone, VADP Executive Director
Why Board Members Support VADP
RJ Bee, Washington
My wife is a mitigation specialist and attorney.
She shared stories of people who were wrongfully
convicted, cases improperly handled and people
just treated inhumanely. This has
solidified my opposition to the
death penalty over the years.
VADP is in an exciting and
unique position. Our supporters
a play a significant role in the abo-
lition of the death penalty in a state where it has
long been a big part of the criminal justice system.
VADP is a thoughtful, strategic and ambitious
organization, and I’m excited to be a part of it.
Theresa Dunleavy, Nofolk
In 1993 I read Dead Man Walking by Sister Helen
Prejean and began to educate myself on capital
punishment. I was horrified by
what I learned.
Many death row inmates are
exonerated due to post-conviction
evidence; it is likely that innocent
people have been executed. With
this knowledge, I became a vocal
activist to end the death penalty.
Thou shalt not kill applies to individuals and to the
government. The death penalty defies logic and
reason. That's why I'm happy to stand with
VADP.
VADP 2017 Annual Rep:
