More than two-thirds of the world’s countries have abolished the death penalty in law or in practice, according to Amnesty International’s website.
Boston Globe writer Brian MacQuarrie. To delve deeper into issues surrounding the death penalty in the United States, Boston University’s Amnesty International chapter hosted a death penalty discussion in the Howard Thurman Center on Wednesday. Speakers included author Bob Curley and Boston Globe writer Brian MacQuarrie.
Curley said that in 1997 his son Jeffrey was kidnapped from his grandmother’s home and murdered.
At that time, the Massachusetts legislature was voting on whether to reinstate the death penalty. Curley said his experience had made him a major proponent for capital punishment.
MacQuarrie has worked at The Boston Globe for 20 years and wrote a book about the Curley case called “The Ride.” The book chronicles the Curley family’s response to the tragic murder and Bob Curley’s transformation from death penalty advocate to opponent.
At Jeffrey’s funeral, MacQuarrie met Curley for the first time and was “struck by [Curley’s] grace and courage,” which he said ultimately inspired him to write “The Ride.”
“I wanted to write a book to show the reader what went on behind the scenes with police and crime,” MacQuarrie said. “The more I sat down with Bob, it occurred to me &- it’s more of a story about how a family deals after people like me leave.”
MacQuarrie also noted his amazement at Curley’s metamorphosis.
“Bob was drawn to the death penalty because of rage and the way his son was killed,” he said. “We sat down for days and days. I found out how he began to change and what brought him to that level,” MacQuarrie said. “In the end, he made this conversion on his own. It was amazing to chronicle the journey. And now he travels the world to deliver this message.”
Curley recently visited the World Congress in Geneva and will be visiting Japan and Korea.
Curley also talked about the moments that changed his stance.
At the time a pro-death penalty advocate, Curley was ready to speak at Boston College when he met Bud Welch, a man who had lost his daughter in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombings.
“Welch was an anti-death penalty advocate,” he said.
“It was one of the first times I met someone anti-death penalty. It was the first moment for me to step back and look at the death penalty.”
The final catalyst was the 1999 execution of Manny Babbitt, a Vietnam veteran diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder who was convicted of killing a 78-year-old grandmother.
“It was a fine position for me to change my opinion,” Curley explained.
Curley’s change of heart was challenging for him to announce publicly.
“Being such a public figure and involved in the politics, I felt like a coward for not coming out and saying it,” he said. “It was just difficult for me to do.”
Moreover, Curley said his public advocacy was for his son.
“I always feel that Jeffrey died for a reason,” he said. “If I can come out here and talk about the death penalty. . . whatever good I can make out of Jeffrey’s life, I’m glad I can do that.”
Curley emphasized that socioeconomic differences drive capital punishment.
“The deck is definitely stacked against people who are poorer,” he said. “If you can afford a good lawyer, you have a better chance than the other guy.” “I don’t look to change anybody,” Curly said. “I just try to tell my point, the way I see it. Just to be able to go out there and tell my story and meet other people in similar situations, I don’t ask how they feel on the death penalty, but I go to offer comfort and support.”
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