Thursday, February 04, 1999
Death penalty opponents rally at courthouse
BY EARNEST WINSTON
The Cincinnati Enquirer
More than 100 people gathered in front of the Hamilton County Courthouse on Wednesday evening to oppose the execution of Wilford Berry, who is scheduled to die by lethal injection Feb. 19 at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility at Lucasville.
Those attending the rally were mostly older adults and college students who carried signs denouncing the death penalty.
Mr. Berry would be the first person executed since Ohio reinstated the death penalty in 1981. The last execution was in 1963.
Maria Hines of Louisville told how she forgave Dennis Wayne Eaton, who in 1989 killed her brother, Jerry, a Virginia state trooper.. Ms. Hines said she attended Mr. Eaton's execution last year in Virginia.
“He was my baby brother and only sibling, ...”said Ms. Hines, a member of Murder Victims Families for Reconciliation.
After much soul-searching, she concluded that the death penalty is wrong, “even when that human being is my brother's killer.”
Others at the rally talked about forgiveness and reconciliation.
Berta Lambert, 57, of Over-the-Rhine said people who commit crimes should be given a chance to live productive lives.
“Historically, Moses was a murderer, and was considered one of the greatest men of the western world,” Mr. Lambert said.
Jennifer Monnig was among several students representing Xavier University's Students for Life. The 20-year-old junior told the crowd about Mr. Berry's troubled life, which included a history of abuse.
“Berry's guilt was never an issue,” Ms. Monnig said.
The rally was sponsored by Ohioans to Stop Executions-Cincinnati Chapter and the Intercommunity Justice and Peace Center. Those gathered were encouraged to write Gov. Bob Taft to protest Mr. Berry's execution.
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