Prejean, the internationally renowned author of “Dead Man Walking: An Eyewitness Account of the Death Penalty in the United States,” is a famous advocate for abolishment of the death penalty in the US.
Prejean said over 130 prisoners have been exonerated from death row since the US Supreme Court revived the death penalty in 1976.
“[The court] said ‘Sorry. We made a mistake’,” she said. “That’s not ‘cause the court system was so thorough. It’s ‘cause college volunteers … and innocence projects combed through those records.”
Prejean said innocent people are wrongfully put on death row usually because of misconduct by the prosecution.
“DNA … don’t think of it as a magic bullet,” Prejean warned. “DNA [evidence] only exists in one-in-every-four homicides.”
Prejean wrote about her first involvement in the death row system in the Pulitzer Prize-nominated “Dead Man Walking.”
“Dead Man Walking” follows the story of two brothers, E. Patrick Sonnier and Eddie Sonnier, who were convicted collectively of the kidnapping and murder of two teenagers on November 5, 1977.
Patrick Sonnier was sentenced to death and Eddie Sonnier was sentenced to life in prison.
Prejean said after Patrick Sonnier’s execution date was set, Eddie Sonnier confessed to her that he killed both teenagers.
The 5th Circuit US Court of Appeals denied Patrick Sonnier a stay of execution and in April 1984, Patrick died by electrocution at Angola Penitentiary, according to “Dead Man Walking.”
Prejean explained that when two people stand trial for murder, the first person to claim the other defendant’s guilt automatically receives a reduced sentence.
“How do we know, out of those two people, who really did it,” Prejean asked. “Do we really care?”
Prejean said people should be angered over the murder of innocent lives.
“We struggle with the death penalty … because we feel outrage. So … we say justice demands it,” Prejean explained. “What else would you have done with Timothy McVeigh? It just never would seem fair that he could be allowed to live when 168 people were dead.”
Prejean said executing even the guilty is still murder.
Despite what the state tells those who participate in the execution, the truth about the criminal’s death is written on the death certificate that reads “Cause of death, Homicide,” Prejean said.
“You say those people deserve to die, but who deserves to kill them,” Prejean asked. “Is this the only answer we can give to violence?”
Prejean emphasized the death penalty simply imitates what people already know is the worst possible behavior – murder.
“We try to teach our children that killing people is wrong,” Prejean said. “If we legalize it and the Supreme Court says it’s okay, the act is morally okay?”
Prejean said the US Supreme Court’s ruling to reinstate the death penalty was mostly a preventative measure against murder.
“Part of our thinking was ‘Hey, you give them the death penalty, they’re going to think twice’,” Prejean said. “It’s not that we’re a bad and vengeful people that just want to kill criminals. That’s not … who the American people are.”
Prejean said people in the South often use the Bible to justify their eye-for-an-eye justice argument.
“Are we going to flip through the Bible and quote us a little vengeance so we can have God on our side for the death penalty,” she asked. “It’s easy to flip through the Bible and get God on our side, backing up what we believe.”
Prejean asked for support in her crusade against the death penalty.
“If you reach a point in your conscience where you know you’re against the death penalty … begin to act,” she said.
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