An inmate on death row killed my mother. I don’t want him to die | Brett Malone

The 19-year-old who did it has now spent half his life in prison. Executing him won't make me feel any better

In the summer of 1987, I recall giving a persuasive speech in the public speaking class I was taking at LSU-Shreveport. It was on why we should abolish the death penalty. At that time, this was an abstract argument to me. I never expected that I would ever be confronted with the realities of the death penalty. That was something, I thought, that only happened to others.

Then, in December of 2000, that reality paid me and my family a visit.

My mother, Mary Ann Shaver Malone, was abducted from her home in Plain Dealing, Louisiana, a week before Christmas by the young man who had done her yardwork for years - purportedly to get money for gambling debts and a ride to a nearby town. She subsequently died as a result of the events of that evening. My family's loss and grief were unfathomable. After our initial shock and horror subsided, our emotions ranged from anger to rage to despair and profound sadness.

Brett Malone is a death penalty abolitionist and advocate for reparative justice