Johnson says she understands the pain of victims, but says moving on didn’t include seeing the murderer put to death.
“To move on with my life and really achieve healing, I had to forgive that person. And I did it that day,” Johnson said.
Lydia Polley with the coalition says the moratorium would give the state time to examine economic, social and racial divides between those the state kills and those they do not.
“I think that’s shocking and disgusting that our entire state is known as killing country,” Polley said.
“There’s never been a rich white man on death row.”
Charles Warner was the other inmate scheduled to die Tuesday. He’s convicted of killing an 11-month old child.
But that child’s mother told his attorney that killing isn’t in line with her religious beliefs.
“Peter said to Jesus, how many times do I forgive a man? Seven times seven? And Jesus said to him, no, you forgive him 70 times 7. That is how I live. I don’t want this man to die,” said Lanita Henricksen.
But Henricksen says at the heart of the issue—the 8th amendment, and the prohibition of cruel and unusual punishment.
“If they are executed, they do have the constitutional right to be executed in a humane manner.”
