“It’s time for healing.”
That’s what Darlene Farah said when she walked out of the courtroom this morning, more than 3 1/2 years after her daughter, Shelby, was murdered.
James Rhodes pleaded guilty to killing Shelby after reaching an agreement with the new State’s Attorney, Melissa Nelson, that would take the death penalty off the table and forgo a trial. Nelson’s predecessor, Angela Corey, had refused to consider such an agreement with Rhodes and his attorneys. Corey even vilified Darlene for her desire to have the charges end in a plea deal.
EJUSA’s Christine Henderson met Darlene shortly after she started working against the death penalty in Florida in early 2016. Since then she has stood with her at press conferences, talked on panels with her, and, like today, sat with her in courtrooms.
“The death penalty can cause such harm to the surviving families, with decades of uncertainty and empty promises, Christine said. “I’m just glad this nightmare is over for Darlene and her kids, and they can continue the long, hard process of healing without the burden of being in the courtroom and having the details of the case brought up over and over again.”
