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Analysis Of Sister Helen Prejean´s Dead Man Walking

764 Words4 Pages

In the book, Dead Man Walking by Sister Helen Prejean who grew up in Louisiana and had gone through a spiritual transformation and pursued in social justice. To pursue in social justice she moved to St. Thomas housing projects in New Orleans where she observe the discrimination between black and white on crimes. She wrote about her journey as she is asked to become a pen pal for a death row inmate in a murder case by a friend from Coalition Prison. Patrick Sonnier was convicted for raping and murdering a young couple, David Leblanc and Loretta Bourque with his younger brother Eddie who received life in prison. Sister Helen explained that if a black person is killed it would barely make it to the newspaper but, if a white person is killed it would be a front page story. When Sister Helen was asked to be Patrick Sonnier pen pal, she would exchange letters with him to try and get to know one another. With Patrick mother being too old to visit him and his brother being in jail with him he is alone in this case with no one there for him. Even finding a lawyer for Patrick was hard but soon after he would receive a lawyer who volunteered from Louisiana to …show more content…

Millard would than try to help Patrick out with the case by arguing that Patrick’s lawyer failed to proposal a testimony on his client’s behalf during the sentencing. Even after Prejean asked the Bishop to talk on Patrick’s behalf, the Supreme Court still denies Patrick’s petition and the execution date was set to April 5, 1984. Prejean would than ask her friend Kathleen Lory to help prepare the funeral for Patrick. Patrick was served his final meal and head was shaved clean in order to prevent his head from catching on fire. Patrick also had to wear a diaper incase an accident happen. Patrick would apologizes to the victim family and tell Prejean he loves her and was pronounced dead at

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