Dawn Mancarella, a member of EJUSA’s Crime Survivor Network, put out a special appeal today for family members of murder victims to sign on to suspend use of the death penalty in a key Florida county.
If you’ve lost a family member to murder, read Dawn’s letter below and consider taking action. If you know of others who might like to sign, please share this post.
Dear friend,
I know the horrible pain of losing a loved one to murder. My mom, Joyce Masury, was murdered 20 years ago, and my life has never been the same.
You’ve identified yourself to EJUSA or an EJUSA state partner as someone who has experienced this same unimaginable horror. So you understand where I’m coming from.
The letter is targeted to officials in Duval County, Florida. Did you know that only 16 counties out of over 3,000 still use the death penalty regularly? Duval County is one of the worst outliers.
On behalf of victims’ family members everywhere, let’s join our voices and tell decision-makers in Duval County how much the death penalty harms us.
In Duval, there have been cases of murder victims’ families pleading with prosecutors to not seek the death penalty so as to avoid years of painful trials and appeals, yet prosecutors seek it anyway. This must not continue.
This letter from victims’ families across the country is a partnership between EJUSA and Murder Victims’ Families for Reconciliation. Together, you and I and dozens of other family members who have signed can make a powerful statement that we should be devoting resources towards healing services for our community, not a harmful process that fails victims’ families.
Thank you for adding your important voice.
Dawn Mancarella
EJUSA’s Crime Survivor Network
PS: Please understand that this is an open letter. That means it will be released publicly and to the media, along with the names of the signers and their lost loved ones. If you “don’t” want your name released to the media, you should “not” sign the letter. We respect your privacy.
