Her story was memorably brought to life in the 1995 Academy Award-winning film “Dead Man Walking” starring Susan Sarandon and Sean Penn. It has also been adapted as a play and an opera. A graphic book of “Dead Man Walking” is slated for release in 2025.
Following King’s and Prejean’s remarks, Judge Reginald Routson (ret.) of the Hancock County Common Pleas Court will moderate a panel discussion among King, Prejean and Mark Godsey, director of the Ohio Innocence Project.
According to press notes, Prejean grew up in the segregated Jim Crow South. At the age of 18, she joined the Sisters of St. Joseph and eventually moved into the St. Thomas Housing Project in New Orleans in the early 1980s. It was at this time that she began corresponding with Patrick Sonnier, who was on death row in Louisiana for the murder of two teenagers. When Sonnier was put to death in the electric chair, she was there to witness his execution. Not long after, she accompanied another condemned inmate, Robert Willie, to his execution. After witnessing these executions, she ultimately wrote “Dead Man Walking: An Eyewitness Account of the Death Penalty in the United States.”
In addition, King is the author of three books, most recently, "Beneath a Ruthless Sun." His aforementioned “Devil in the Grove” was named runner-up for the Dayton Literary Peace Prize. He has also written about race, civil rights and the death penalty for The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Atlantic. King’s earlier book, “The Execution of Willie Francis,” was published in 2008.
“Another Evening For Justice,” which benefits the Ohio Innocence Project, brings true stories to the forefront, revealing the profound challenges plaguing America’s criminal justice system. At the conclusion of the event, those who have purchased a VIP ticket are invited to attend a reception with the event speakers in the Schuster Center Wintergarden.
HOW TO GO
What: “Another Evening For Justice”
When: 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 8
Where: Victoria Theatre, 138 N. Main St., Dayton
Cost: $39.50-$85.50
More info: 937-228-3630 or daytonlive.org
About the Author
