Jack Hereford
Missourians to Abolish the Death Penalty
Dear Friend,
While we are celebrating that the execution of John Middleton did not take place today as the MO Supreme Court had originally planned, we are saddened that another execution date has been set.
Dennis Skillicorn is scheduled to be executed August 27th. If this execution takes place his would be the first Missouri execution in nearly three years.
While state sanctioned killing is always deplorable, the taking of Dennis' life would be particularly tragic.
Dennis was arrested for the 1994 murder of Richard Drummand, but Skillicorn was not the triggerman. Dennis' co-defendant has repeatedly stated that Dennis was not present when the murder took place and that Dennis did not know of his intention to kill Richard Drummand.
Even so, Dennis has expressed deep remorse for his involvement in the events leading to the murder of Richard Drummand. Dennis once said, "Despite our bad choices, we still believe in the concept of right and wrong, and support what is right". Since his incarceration, Dennis has proven time and again his commitment to doing and supporting what is right.
Dennis volunteers in the prison hospice program, is a leader with Set Free Ministry which works with thousands of inmates in Missouri and Illinois, is a founding member of a family strengthening program designed to help children of incarcerated parents avoid their parents' bad choices, is a leader in the Christian Men's Council at Potosi, actively participates in restorative justice efforts at the prison including Special Olympics and Relay for Life, coordinated efforts to re-instate marriage seminars and support for incarcerated men and women, actively works to build bridges between the Protestant, Catholic, Muslim, Islamic and Native American religious groups at the prison, and is a founder of the Charity Carnival that raises money inside the prison for charitable organizations.
Since 2003, Dennis has served as the editor of Compassion, a bi-monthly newsletter written by and for death row inmates that focuses on restorative justice principles and reconciliation between death row inmates and murder victims' family members. Proceeds from Compassion go to college scholarships for murder victims' family members. To date, $34,000 in scholarships have been awarded.
Dennis compiled a book, "Today's Choices Affect Tomorrow's Dreams," that is distributed for free to juvenile centers around the country. The book has been so popular, he has been asked to do another. He currently is compiling the second book, which will be aimed at teaching young offenders skills to avoid returning to a criminal lifestyle and to lead a productive life after release.
Dennis speaks to university student groups on a regular basis to give them insight into the death penalty and prison life. He is, and remains, a positive spokesman and positive role models for other prisoners.
The execution of Dennis would be beyond senseless. So we need your help. Dennis' wife is preparing group clemency petitions to be submitted on his behalf. If you would like to sign onto a clemency petition asking that Dennis' sentence be commuted to life imprisonment, please email me at cunningham@moabolition.org. Include your name, address, how you know of Dennis or his work and be specific about why you believe his sentence should be commuted to life.
For more information about Dennis and the case, visit:https://madp.ejusadb.org/sites/madp.ejusadb.org/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=82&qid=7702
Thank you for doing all you can to help ensure real justice is served for Dennis Skillicorn.
Toward Peace,
Colleen Cunningham
State Coordinator
While we are celebrating that the execution of John Middleton did not take place today as the MO Supreme Court had originally planned, we are saddened that another execution date has been set.
Dennis Skillicorn is scheduled to be executed August 27th. If this execution takes place his would be the first Missouri execution in nearly three years.
While state sanctioned killing is always deplorable, the taking of Dennis' life would be particularly tragic.
Dennis was arrested for the 1994 murder of Richard Drummand, but Skillicorn was not the triggerman. Dennis' co-defendant has repeatedly stated that Dennis was not present when the murder took place and that Dennis did not know of his intention to kill Richard Drummand.
Even so, Dennis has expressed deep remorse for his involvement in the events leading to the murder of Richard Drummand. Dennis once said, "Despite our bad choices, we still believe in the concept of right and wrong, and support what is right". Since his incarceration, Dennis has proven time and again his commitment to doing and supporting what is right.
Dennis volunteers in the prison hospice program, is a leader with Set Free Ministry which works with thousands of inmates in Missouri and Illinois, is a founding member of a family strengthening program designed to help children of incarcerated parents avoid their parents' bad choices, is a leader in the Christian Men's Council at Potosi, actively participates in restorative justice efforts at the prison including Special Olympics and Relay for Life, coordinated efforts to re-instate marriage seminars and support for incarcerated men and women, actively works to build bridges between the Protestant, Catholic, Muslim, Islamic and Native American religious groups at the prison, and is a founder of the Charity Carnival that raises money inside the prison for charitable organizations.
Since 2003, Dennis has served as the editor of Compassion, a bi-monthly newsletter written by and for death row inmates that focuses on restorative justice principles and reconciliation between death row inmates and murder victims' family members. Proceeds from Compassion go to college scholarships for murder victims' family members. To date, $34,000 in scholarships have been awarded.
Dennis compiled a book, "Today's Choices Affect Tomorrow's Dreams," that is distributed for free to juvenile centers around the country. The book has been so popular, he has been asked to do another. He currently is compiling the second book, which will be aimed at teaching young offenders skills to avoid returning to a criminal lifestyle and to lead a productive life after release.
Dennis speaks to university student groups on a regular basis to give them insight into the death penalty and prison life. He is, and remains, a positive spokesman and positive role models for other prisoners.
The execution of Dennis would be beyond senseless. So we need your help. Dennis' wife is preparing group clemency petitions to be submitted on his behalf. If you would like to sign onto a clemency petition asking that Dennis' sentence be commuted to life imprisonment, please email me at cunningham@moabolition.org. Include your name, address, how you know of Dennis or his work and be specific about why you believe his sentence should be commuted to life.
For more information about Dennis and the case, visit:https://madp.ejusadb.org/sites/madp.ejusadb.org/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=82&qid=7702
Thank you for doing all you can to help ensure real justice is served for Dennis Skillicorn.
Toward Peace,
Colleen Cunningham
State Coordinator
No comments:
Post a Comment