It’s time to end this…
“The people who are being executed tend not to be the worst of the worst offenders but the most vulnerable,” said Robert Dunham, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center. “They are disproportionately severely mentally ill, brain damaged, intellectually disabled or chronically abused or a combination of those.”
Background
Lisa had a horrific childhood, full of physical abuse and sexual torture. As a result of this trauma, Lisa learned to disassociate to save herself from experiencing the pain. A sad, broken little girl endured unspeakable horrors.
Our story
Lisa and I met when we were both incarcerated while awaiting federal trial and sentencing. Lisa was the sweetest, most giving woman. Behind bars, she had a stable environment for perhaps the first time in her life. I believe this Lisa that I knew was the real Lisa.
Execution
On January 13, 2021, my friend Lisa became the first woman executed by the federal government in almost 70 years. Yes, Lisa’s crime was horrible, but killing Lisa did not undo the crime. Even with stacks of evidence showing Lisa’s brokenness, the government worked relentlessly to remove every court filing intended to save Lisa’s life. Her death will not be in vain.