43 Pro Death Penalty Quotes by Victims' Families in the U.S.A II

	Ann Pace of Jackson stood alone with a sign bearing pictures of her daughter who was killed by a man named Derrick Todd Lee in 2002. Charlotte Murray Pace was 22. Her mother described her four years, so far, of waiting for Lee’s execution as “hideous.” While she said Lee’s death may not bring closure, she thinks it may bring peace. “I have this constant awareness of him breathing air, visiting with his family, doing all those things that he denied so many people, that he denied my daughter,” Pace said. “(Once he is dead), he will not be at my table. He will not be in my head. Then, it will be all about Murray and not about him.” Feel-good idealism without reference to reality is dangerous. In a perfect world, capital punishment would be unnecessary. This is not a perfect world, but a real world with very real threats. *- Death penalty letter 'idealism'* 5:20 AM, Apr. 16, 2011 WHEREAS the majority of those convicted and given the death sentence lacked adequate education and adequate financial resources. This seems to imply that murder(s) is somehow mitigated because the murderer may be poor and uneducated? Is an innocent victim less dead because the offender is uneducated and poor? Such a position is also insulting to the many who honorably strive with those limitations without murdering a single other soul. *- Death penalty letter 'idealism'* 5:20 AM, Apr. 16, 2011 WHEREAS we the Mississippi Religious Leadership Conference, an organization of interfaith leadership (on whose authority?), call for an immediate moratorium on sentencing human beings to death in the name of the state and in the name of justice. I, as a human being with all the authority invested in my human beingness, call for a moratorium on the murder of innocents and for an expedited application of the death penalty as the only commensurate and appropriate sentence for one who purposefully and wantonly destroys innocent life. *- Death penalty letter 'idealism'* 5:20 AM, Apr. 16, 2011 I believe the death penalty to be a useful tool for law enforcement. Think how many admissions of guilt are obtained by taking this possibility off the table. - *Death penalty offers 'safety'* 2:30 PM, Mar. 26, 2012 I also believe it is the only appropriate punishment for some crimes and that some people are dangerous in any venue. Even in jail, they are a threat to their fellow inmates, to those who must guard them, and potentially even to visitors to the prison. A female guard was killed in Monroe in January 2011 and another in Washington State in the same month. What about those states where the death penalty doesn't apply? Reoffending within the prison or after escaping carries no real-life penalty. If you have multiple life sentences without parole, what's another? - *Death penalty offers 'safety'* 2:30 PM, Mar. 26, 2012 I believe the death penalty should be used sparingly for heinous, forensically supported crimes. In these cases, I truly believe that our foremost responsibility is to ensure our own safety and that of our children and our communities. - *Death penalty offers 'safety'* 2:30 PM, Mar. 26, 2012 Ann Pace whose daughter, Charlotte Murray Pace was murdered by the Baton Rouge Serial Killer, Derrick Todd Lee on 31 May 2002.
	Sara Van Wyk has changed from being opposed to the death penalty to a strong supporter. In 2007, six members of her family including her sister Erica Anderson were murdered in Carnation, Wash. The accused murderers confessed and one even asked that she be put to death. Yet, nearly 4 years later the case still has not gone to trial. The defense bill to date is $3.2 million. “When you lose a loved one so quickly and tragically without any warning” says Van Wyk. "There’s no way to factor the cost.” Sara Van Wyk and Pam Mantle - Inside Mantle's Snohomish (U.S state of Washington) home, framed photos of Olivia and Nathan sit next to the television and on the kitchen counter, inches from a stack of Christmas cards and rows of fresh-baked chocolate-chip cookies. The photos are among the few images Mantle has left of the children who were slain on Christmas Eve two years ago (2007). Olivia, 5, Nathan, 3, and their parents, Erica and Scott Anderson, were among six people shot to death at the Carnation-area home of Scott's parents, Wayne and Judy Anderson, who also were killed in one of the state's worst mass slayings. Erica was Mantle's daughter. Michele Anderson, 31, Scott's sister and the daughter of Wayne and Judy Anderson, and her former boyfriend, Joseph McEnroe, 31, have been charged in the killings. Mantle and her daughter, Sara Van Wyk, say they are flooded with memories of Erica, Scott and the children. But only recently have they been willing to sit down and talk about the deaths and their impact on their family.
	Tuesday 24 April 2012 - SACRAMENTO (CBS13) – There were hundreds of photos displayed for all to see and emotional outcries from murder victims’ families gathering from across the state at the Capitol on Tuesday to speak up for those they’ve lost. Supporters of the 23rd annual Victims March stood side by side, many fighting to uphold the death penalty a day after it was announced that California voters will decide its fate in the November election. Tuesday march was part of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week. “What’s wrong with the death penalty is not the budget, it’s not the cost,” said Harriet Salarno, founder of Crime Victims United of California. “That’s all they’re going to do and hammer that. It’s because we’re not implementing it.” “To me death row is a way to make sure we stop the crime,” said Lupe Diaz, whose brother Tony Diaz, a Yolo County sheriff’s deputy, was shot to death in 2008 by Marco Topete, who was sentenced to death earlier this year. Sandy Friend’s son Michael Lyons was murdered in Yuba City back in 1996, and 16 years later her son’s killer is still on death row. “I really wish there was a better system when it comes to the length of time they stay on death row,” she said. Sandy Friend lost her 8-year-old son Michael Lyons in 1996. The Yuba City child was abducted by a serial killer after walking home from school. "He kidnapped Michael and kept him for 10 hours," Sandy Friend told KCRA 3. "He tortured him for 10 hours and he murdered him ultimately the next morning." The convicted killer, Robert Rhoades, is now on California's death row, where Friend is hoping he will pay the ultimate price. "If he isn't the poster child for the death penalty, I don't know who would be," Friend told KCRA 3. "I mean, he is the evilest of the evil. He is the worst of the worst." Such costs and delays are inexcusable, say opponents of the ballot measure "It should not have taken this long — it shouldn't take any longer than a dog's euthanization," said Carmina Salcido of Rohnert Park. Salcido's father, Ramon Salcido, murdered her mother, Angela, when Salcido was 3 years old in April of 1989. He then slashed her throat and those of her sisters, Sofia, 4, and Teresa, 22 months, and killed four others. Carmina was the only family member to survive. Now 26 and with 1-year-old daughter, Zophia. she at times has struggled to support herself and sought government assistance including food stamps. During those times, she's thought about her father receiving three square meals each day and never worrying about how to keep a roof over his head. "This is outrageous, for victims to try to make ends meet and people who caused their struggle live pretty decently," Salcido said. Salcido said the death penalty process should be shortened, suggesting the standards to impose death sentences be made stricter so that executions could place sooner. "I believe this is a just and humane thing to do," Salcido said. Crime Victims United of California is the only organization of its kind — using education, legislative advocacy and political action to enhance public safety, promote effective crime-reduction measures and strengthen the rights of crime victims. CVU is comprised of two distinct, yet complementary groups — a legislative advocacy arm that works to strengthen victims’ rights laws and a political action committee that lends its endorsement and financial backing to pro-victim candidates. Our supporters include crime victims groups, law enforcement organizations and individuals determined to make a positive difference in California’s criminal justice system.
	"If you need a reason to support this bill, close your eyes and remember the last moments of my wife's life. Imagine her not knowing whether her best friend was alive or dead." "I'm not seeking vengeance. It has no bearing on my case," Cates said. "I am seeking justice for the next family whose lives could be changed forever." "A small number of acts are so heinous that death is the only penalty that truly fits," Cates said. David Cates whose wife, Kimberly Cates was hacked to death, her daughter Jaime severely injured, October 4th, 2009. Jurors have already convicted one of the four teenagers prosecutors say broke into the family's home that night with the intent to kill.
	Tuesday 31 August 2012 - TMZ spoke with Steven Hernandez, the brother of Rebecca Wingo, one of the twelve victims of the Aurora, Colorado shooting almost two weeks ag, and he said that James Holmes deserves the death penalty. Wingo, who was 32, is survived by two young daughters. Prosecutors are currently considering a pursuit of the death penalty, but will not decide until they speak with the families of the victims. Hernandez said: "My sister Rebecca was killed in the theater. My mother is bereft, my wife is distraught and I am heartsick and angry. Allow the justice system to punish this murderer. I want to see him sentenced to death and I hope he sits in jail many years waiting to die." Holmes was charged with 142 counts for the shooting, including 24 counts of 1st degree murder. Wednesday 1 August 2012 - 22-year-old Carli Richards -- whom Holmes shot in the back with a shotgun -- tells TMZ, "I think death by firing squad would be totally justified ... Just injecting him is painless." She says, "I had enough needles in me that night to know that a needle isn't that bad. I want him to see what it feels like ... I wish someone would shoot him and let him bleed out." She adds, "He shot me with stuff they use to shoot birds and deer. I want him to feel what it's like to feel that helpless." Thankfully, Carli and her boyfriend made it to safety before Holmes could kill them -- but Carli says she's still in a lot of pain, and can't go back to work yet with her current injuries. Monday 1 April 2013 - Friends of Aurora shooting victims applauded prosecutors' decision today to seek the death penalty for James Holmes, with one friend saying he wanted to be in the room if Holmes is executed. "I don't know if it's painful. I want him dead. I just want to be there in the room when he dies," Bryan Beard said outside the Colorado courthouse. "He took one of my friends from this Earth. Death equals death." Beard's close friend Alex Sullivan was one of the 12 people killed in the shooting on July 20 last year. It was Sullivan's 27th birthday. Prosecutors from the Arapahoe County District Attorney's Office said at a hearing today in Aurora, Colo., that they will seek execution for Holmes if he is convicted. Wednesday 3 April 2013 - "I'm not opposed to him being sentenced to the death penalty," Rose Martinez, another one of Moser's cousins, said. "People in the whole world would probably feel more at ease knowing that somebody that is capable of doing such a horrific crime is no longer on this earth." Moser's daughter was killed the night of the shooting. Her daughter Veronica Moser-Sullivan was 6 years old . She was the youngest victim. Moser was pregnant with her second child at the time. Her unborn baby did not survive. Moser's medical expenses are mounting - and that will continue for the rest of her life. Homicide Survivors of the 2012 Aurora Shooting - On July 20, 2012, a mass shooting occurred at a Century movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, during a midnight screening of the film The Dark Knight Rises. A gunman, dressed in tactical clothing, set off tear gas grenades and shot into the audience with multiple firearms, killing 12 people and injuring 58 others, the highest number of casualties in an American mass shooting. The sole suspect is James Eagan Holmes, who was arrested outside the cinema minutes later.
	Since the murder of our son, New York State Trooper Andy “AJ” Sperr on March 1, 2006, several more have died in the line of duty in this state alone. We sincerely believe that Joe Longobardo, murdered in cold blood by “Bucky” Phillips, and Joe Corr, of West Hartford, a Utica suburb, who was ambushed on Feb. 28, 2006, might still be alive if a death penalty had been in place at the time. During testimony at Andy’s trial, Anthony Horton, who was convicted of his killing, was quoted as saying to his accomplice that he was going to “shoot the cop,” knowing that there was no death penalty in New York. Opponents of the death penalty may make compelling arguments against abuses and errors of the past, but modern technology, including DNA, etc., will go a long way to avoid the errors of the past. We sincerely believe in the jury and criminal justice system. State legislators should tell Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver to give law enforcement officers the protection they deserve from cop killers. Andy and Jean Sperr are the parents of State Trooper Andy “AJ” Sperr, a Greece native who was killed in a chance encounter with a bank robber on 1 March 2006.
	“It's amazing that these people (Canadian Coalition Against the Death Penalty) want to give these free Web pages to convicted murderers…I wonder if they'd feel the same way if it was their wife or their mother who had their brains blown out.” Anthony Nunnciato of Laurel Lake, New Jersey whose brother Wilmington gun shop owner Thomas Smith, was shot to death by in a 1996 robbery.
	Herzog killed himself last month on 16 January 2012. The couple said they want Shermantine to be executed for his crimes. "As far as I'm concerned, he can burn in hell like his friend should be doing," said John Vanderheiden. The Vanderheidens plan to hold a public memorial for their daughter Cyndi and bury her at the Clements Cemetery less than a mile from her home. The parents of Cyndi Vanderheiden - The Speed Freak Killers is the name given to serial killer duo Loren Herzog and Wesley Shermantine, together initially convicted of 4 murders (3 jointly), and suspected in the deaths of as many as 15 people, in and around San Joaquin County, California. Their nickname was given due to their being "speed freaks", a colloquialism for methamphetamine users. Shermantine is on death row. Herzog committed suicide in 2012. He had had his conviction overturned in 2004, and had been paroled in 2010. Bones recovered in 2012 from an abandoned well have been positively linked to the killings. Herzog and Shermantine were arrested by the San Joaquin County Sheriff's Department in 1999 after the blood of 25 year old Cyndi Vanderheiden of Clements was found in Shermantine’s car. She had gone missing after having left with them one night in 1988. The duo had grown up as childhood friends in the town, and had been regulars at Cyndi's father's bar in Linden. In 2001, a jury found Shermantine guilty of four murders; Vanderheiden, two men shot dead in their car in 1984, and 16-year-old Chevelle "Chevy" Wheeler, who disappeared in 1985 from Franklin High School in Stockton, when she told friends she was leaving school to go with Shermantine to his family's cabin in San Andreas. Shermantine was given a death sentence, and is on death row at San Quentin State Prison. Herzog was convicted of three murders, and was sentenced to 77 years to life. The sentence was later reduced to 14 years. An appeals court overturned the first-degree murder convictions, after ruling his confession was coerced. Herzog was paroled in 2010 to a trailer adjacent to the High Desert State Prison in Susanville. He committed suicide, hanging himself outside the trailer in January 2012, after bounty hunter Leonard Padilla informed Herzog that Shermantine was planning to disclose the location of a well and two other locations where the duo had buried their victims. Prior to then, none of the bodies of their victims had been found. Both men maintained that the other did the killing in all cases. The citizens of Linden, a small town with fewer than 2,000 people, 95 miles east of San Francisco, were long aware of the duo's reputation as methamphetamine users. Letters written to journalist Scott Smith, of the Stockton Record, by Shermantine have led authorities, in February 2012, to a well on an abandoned farm outside of Linden, California, where more than 1000 human bone fragments have been recovered. The bones will be tested by the California Department of Justice for DNA profiling. Shermantine stated that he believed that Herzog was responsible for the kidnapping of Michaela Garecht. Shermantine had given investigators maps to the well, and other possible burial sites, after bounty hunter Padilla promised to pay him $33,000 for the information. Two bodies from separate sites have been identified as those of Chevelle "Chevy" Wheeler and Cyndi Vanderheiden.
	The killer of Judy Cassidy's husband Chuck was sentenced to death and she wonders if she, like Maureen, will be waiting for justice 30 years from now. "We all know it's never going to happen, he'll never be murdered in prison like he should," Cassidy said. Judy Cassidy whose husband Police Officer Chuck was murdered in Philadelphia.
	Friday 10 August 2012 - Doctor Briles believes Smith deserves the death penalty and the state agrees. On Tuesday, that state will seek the death penalty during the sentencing phase of Smith's trial. "I don't think that being in the general prison population is as much of a punishment for Delmar Smith," said Dr.Briles. Dr. James Briles whose wife, Kathleen Briles was murdered by Delmar Smith in Palmetto, Florida on 3 August 2009.
	Friday 2 November 2012 - A McLennan County jury rejected Rickey Donnell Cummings’ alibi that he was selling marijuana six blocks away when two men were gunned down in 2011 at the Lakewood Villas apartments, convicting him Friday of capital murder. Cummings, 23, who told jurors Thursday he was not involved in the deaths, showed no reaction when 19th State District Judge Ralph Strother read the verdict. The crowded courtroom heeded Strother’s instructions prohibiting displays of emotion or other outbursts. Security has been tight throughout the nine-day trial, but officials ramped it up even more Friday. At least 14 law enforcement officers were present in the courtroom when the verdict was returned, including deputies standing in the aisle to separate the victims’ families and friends from Cummings’ family. Seventeen officers were stationed in the courthouse rotunda and almost two dozen more from various agencies watched over the courthouse parking lot as the crowd poured into the street after the verdict. Cummings is one of four men charged in the March 2011 shooting deaths of Tyus Sneed, 17, and Keenan Hubert, 20, as they sat in the back seat of a car at the Spring Street apartments. Two others, Deontrae Majors and Marion Bible, who were in the front seat, were wounded in the ambush but managed to escape the car and flee. The punishment phase of the trial begins at 8:30 a.m. Monday. Cummings faces the death penalty or life in prison without parole. The jury deliberated about three hours before convicting Cummings, whom prosecutors called a “cold-blooded, ruthless killer.” Hubert’s father, Artie Matthews, called Friday a “good day,” and said Cummings deserves the death penalty. “We’ve got one down, three to go,” he said, referring to Cummings’ co-defendants. “I want death, nothing but. He deserves to die. He’s a coward.” Wednesday 7 November 2012 - While Rickey Donnell Cummings was on his way to death row, one of the fathers of his murder victims was headed to the cemetery to tell his son “we got him.” Jurors in Waco’s 19th State District Court deliberated about 3 1/2 hours Wednesday before returning a death sentence for Cummings in the 2011 ambush-style slayings of two men at an East Waco apartment complex. Cummings’ defense attorneys had hoped to spare him the death sentence, telling jurors that the death penalty should be reserved for the worst of the worst. Prosecutors countered that the 23-year-old alleged Bloods gang member’s “callous, blood-thirsty” actions, plus an escalating spiral of violence, make him an ideal candidate for execution. As Cummings was led from court, he smiled at his family members and told them he loved them and to keep their heads up. They said they loved him, too. He flashed a peace sign on his way to jail. Cummings was convicted of capital murder Friday in the March 2011 shooting deaths of Tyus Sneed, 17, and Keenan Hubert, 20, as they sat in the back seat of a car at the Lakewood Villas apartment complex, 1601 Spring St. Demontrae Majors, 22, and Marion Bible, 23, who were in the front seat of the car, were wounded but managed to flee to the safety of a nearby apartment. Surrounded by family members and smiling occasionally, Robert Sneed, Tyus Sneed’s father, remained emotional, as he has been throughout the trial. “It’s over,” he said. “We got him, we got him, we got him. Now, it’s time to go to Tyus’ grave and tell him we got him.” Hubert’s father, Artemus Matthews, had a different, anger-laced message for Cummings, whom he called a coward in his courtroom statement. “I hope they kill you over and over and over,” Matthews said, taking note of Cummings’ tattoos. “You must like needles. They’ve got one waiting for you down there. . . . You’re going to come home in a body bag.” Parents of Tyus Sneed and Keenan Hubert - Rickey Donnell Cummings was convicted of capital murder in the 28 March 2011 shooting deaths of Tyus Sneed, 17, and Keenan Hubert, 20, as they sat in the back seat of the car at the Lakewood Villas apartment complex, 1601 Spring St, Waco, Texas. Demontrae Majors, 22, and Marion Bible, 23, who were in the front seat of the car, were wounded but managed to flee to the safety of a nearby apartment.
	"Until you've walked in my shoes, you probably couldn't quite understand what a victim possibly might want," she said. "Those criminals get to be put to sleep. I witnessed the violence of my husband being murdered in front of me." [Tuesday 26 March 2013] Tina Leager whose husband was shot to death in a 1996 home invasion by two men on Delaware Death Row, urged lawmakers not to abolish the death penalty.
	At age 19, Crystal Lewis discovered she believed in monsters. That revelation came moments after she discovered her best friend, with a gaping hole in the back of her head, shot as she sat in her Pendleton apartment on June 1, 2009. In her friend’s left arm was her 9-month-old son who had a bullet hole in his forehead. Lewis then saw the body of her own 3-year-old daughter Sha’Railyn Wright, whom her friend had been babysitting. Mark Pickens had shot them all. The murders resulted in Pickens’ 2010 murder convictions, sent him to Ohio’s death row and cemented Lewis’ opinion of the death penalty. “Before this case, I didn’t really care about it,” Lewis, 22, of Southgate, said of capital punishment. “Now, I’m all for it.” [In the News on Saturday 2 June 2012] Crystal Lewis whose daughter, Sha'Railyn Wright was murdered on June 1, 2009, in Pendleton, Ohio. Her murderer, Mark Pickens, is on death row. Lewis said she is now a supporter of capital punishment because of the pain she experienced because of the crime and uncertainty during Pickens' trial.
	Thursday 17 May 2012 - The parents say the death penalty for Espinoza is justified, and ask that it be done without years of delay. Shaw's mother Anita, an Army sergeant, was in Iraq when she was notified of her son's death. "He came in and he killed him quickly, so let his death be quickly," said Shaw. "Listen to all the stuff that he has done while my son was doing nothing but good. His life speaks for what he deserves. He's guilty. He deserves death." Wednesday 23 May 2012 - In the gallery, a smile spread across Shaw's mother's face and his father nodded his head. Most family members wore red, which they previously said was in protest of Espinoza. "I hope he leaves prison the same way my son came into the mortuary — in a casket," the teen's father, Jamiel Shaw Sr., said outside court. He quietly told his deceased son during the verdict: "We did it. Your life wasn't in vain." The teenage victim's father, Jamiel Shaw Sr., told reporters shortly after the verdict that he was "very happy justice was served." "... Under the circumstances, this is the best that we could do," he said. "We couldn't do ... more than the conviction with the death penalty, and we're going to hold our heads up high. We're not going to be feeling bad. We're going to be happy no matter what happens from here on out. We did this. Today is our day." Friday 2 November 2012 - A Los Angeles Superior Court judge agreed with a jury's recommendation that a gang member convicted in the execution-style slaying of standout high school football player Jamiel Shaw receive the death penalty. After emotional testimony from Shaw's family in a Los Angeles courtroom on Friday, Judge Ronald Rose issued the sentence to Pedro Espinoza, a 23-year-old gang member. A jury in May recommended death for Espinoza, who was convicted of first-degree murder for what prosecutors said was the "cold-blooded, calculated execution" of Shaw outside the teen's Arlington Heights home on March 2, 2008. Four days before voters are expected to decide whether to abolish the death penalty, Shaw’s family stood in solidarity at the courthouse, voicing support for the maximum penalty currently allowed by law. "If you murdered somebody, you should be murdered too," said Jamiel Shaw Sr., who said he was voting against Prop. 34 on Nov. 6 which would abolish California’s death penalty. “My son got the death penalty, but we can't give it to them? Because it hurts? They don't think it didn't hurt my son?" When asked if she views the sentencing as the end of the ordeal, Jamiel Shaw’s mother, Anita said, “It better be. Enough is enough." Jamiel Shaw’s aunt, Althea, pushed for the death sentence. "It’s not like we'll go ‘Whoo!’ if he gets he gets the death penalty,” she said. “We just feel that it's appropriate for the way Jamiel was murdered." His parents and friends appeared in court Friday wearing red. They said it wasn't to symbolize a gang – but for "the blood spilled." "You don't have a right to execute someone and then come in and plead not to be executed," said Jamiel Shaw Sr., the father of the victim. Shaw said he devoted his life to preparing his son for a brilliant athletic career. "We really thought we had a chance," he said. "My son was groomed to succeed." Jamiel Shaw II's family - Jamiel Shaw II was gunned down just three doors away from his Arlington Heights home after leaving a friend's house in 2008 in Los Angeles. He was confronted by Espinoza, who thought he was a member of a rival gang. Shaw had been attracting attention for his athletic talents from schools like Rutgers and Stanford at time of his death.
	When Davida Brown heard last week that state lawmakers are considering abolishing the death penalty, she was upset. “It’s all right to kill, but you can’t be killed? I don’t like this at all. This is really upsetting me,” she said. “I prefer the death penalty [as punishment], but I wouldn’t take anything less than life without parole,” said Brown, a city resident. She added that she supported capital punishment as an option before her mother’s murder. “I want a life for a life,” she said. Davida Brown whose mother, 67-year-old Vivian Martin, was murdered on 20 September 2010 in the city’s East Side in Ohio. The two men accused in the case, Robert S. Brooks, 26, of Castalia Avenue, Youngstown, and Grant P. Cooper, 22, of Sulgrave Drive, Brookfield, face the death penalty if convicted.
	Monday 11-04-2011 - Those who support capital punishment said taking the death penalty off the table would hurt prosecutors' ability to make deals to ensure criminals are given a fair sentence. "Leverage, that's what the death penalty provides,'' said Stuart Brush, a minister from Woodbury whose son was killed while delivering pizza in Bridgeport in 1983.”The death penalty is the bargaining chip." For survivors of homicide such as the Rev. Stuart Brush, whose son Dean -- a Joel Barlow High School graduate earning money for college -- was murdered by three teenagers while delivering pizzas in Bridgeport nearly 20 years ago, it's a matter of justice, not revenge. During a pro-capital punishment news conference in the Capitol complex with homicide survivors and members of public safety unions, Brush, of Woodbury, recalled the April 9, 1983, murder of his son. "Our son was one of those people who received the death penalty from these three boys. If we're not going to give that as the judgment, then Dean's life was of less-than-capital importance and I don't buy that." Reverend Stuart Brush is a minister from Woodbury, Connecticut whose son was killed while delivering pizza in Bridgeport in 1983. For survivors of homicide such as the Rev. Stuart Brush, whose son Dean -- a Joel Barlow High School graduate earning money for college -- was murdered by three teenagers while delivering pizzas in Bridgeport nearly 20 years ago, it's a matter of justice, not revenge.
	“I wish the death penalty was a deal on the table as a choice to be made,” Celeste Flores Narvaez said in a statement to FOX5. “I guess what Blu did to Debbie wasn’t horrific enough,” she said. “Even if he was sentenced to the rest of his life behind bars, he will still be alive taking breaths -- when he took Debbie’s last,” Celeste Flores Narvaez said. Celeste Flores Narvaez is the sister of Flores Narvaez. Flores Narvaez was referring to Jason “Blu” Griffith, the boyfriend of her sister, Debbie. Griffith is accused of strangling Flores Narvaez following an argument in December 2010. Police said he later dismembered her body and sealed the evidence in concrete inside plastic tubs that were found at an abandoned home. Flores Narvaez was a dancer in Luxor’s “Fantasy” show. Griffith performed in the Cirque du Soleil show “Love” at the Mirage.