Why Victims’ Family Members Oppose the Death Penalty – Webinar

Too often, district attorneys say they’re thinking of victims’ family members when they announce that they’re seeking the death penalty in murder cases. But are they, really?

Aba Gayle, Mattie Scott, and Robert “Renny” Cushing, three victims’ family members, discuss why they oppose the death penalty, despite the pain and anger they felt when their loved ones were killed. All three have devoted their lives to abolishing capital punishment, channeling their pain and anguish into ending the cycle of violence. As Mattie says, “It’s time to stop the killing and start the healing.”

And moderator Bethany Webb, whose sister Laura was killed in the worst mass shooting in Orange County history, turned her lifelong opposition to the death penalty into a mission, joining the board of directors of Death Penalty Focus and using her platform to speak out on the issue wherever and whenever she is asked. As she said to the judge at the trial of her sister’s killer, of the district attorney’s insistence on seeking death, “He says he’s doing this for my family, but he’s really doing it to my family.”

The panelists discussed:

• Their journey from pain and anger to forgiveness and anti-death penalty advocacy
• What they tell other victims’ family members who aren’t sure how they feel and struggle with the issue 
• Why they believe forgiveness outweighs the satisfaction of revenge