Death-Row Inmates Give $10,000 to Student

abc ^ | 10-23-03

[wheelgunguru]

Student Whose Father Died in Winshield Killing Gets Scholarship From Death-Row Inmate

DALLAS Oct. 23 — A college student whose father was hit by a car and left to die in the windshield then forgave the woman who did it was awarded a $10,000 scholarship raised by death-row inmates.

The money for Brandon Biggs, 20, was raised through donations and subscriptions to "Compassion," a bimonthly newsletter written by the nation's death-row inmates and a project of the Roman Catholic church's peace and justice committee.

"We want to debunk the myth that death-row inmates are subhuman monsters needing to be killed," said Rick Halperin, the Texas death penalty abolition coordinator for Amnesty International USA.

Gregory Biggs was walking on the side of a Fort Worth highway in October 2001 when he was hit. With his torso inside the car and his broken legs lodged in the windshield, he held onto the inside passenger door panel as the car kept going, according to court testimony.

Authorities said Chante Mallard drove home and left Biggs in the windshield to die, despite his pleas for help. She was convicted in June of murder and sentenced to 50 years in prison. She was not eligible for the death penalty; her maximum punishment would have been life in prison.

The scholarship is for relatives of any murder victims, not just those in death-penalty cases.

During her trial, Mallard apologized to Biggs. Biggs later said he forgave Mallard.

"I still want to extend my forgiveness to Chante Mallard and I want the Mallard family to know that they are in my prayers," he said Wednesday.

[Tijeras_Slim]

ping

[NautiNurse]

An amazing story. WOW!

[Damocles]

"We want to debunk the myth that death-row inmates are subhuman monsters needing to be killed,"

Oh God, I think my head is going to explode...

They scrape together a few bucks (from where) and now they should be forgiven of the penalty for their crimes...please.

[Yo-Yo]

"We want to debunk the myth that death-row inmates are subhuman monsters needing to be killed," said Rick Halperin, the Texas death penalty abolition coordinator for Amnesty International USA.

Death row inmates came up with this idea, or did the touchy-feely bleeding hearts at Amnesty International think this stunt up?

[Capt. Tom]

"We want to debunk the myth that death-row inmates are subhuman monsters needing to be killed," said Rick Halperin, the Texas death penalty abolition coordinator for Amnesty International USA.

We don't execute people for being subhuman monsters. You have to murder someone to qualify. - Tom

[MeekOneGOP]

Gregory Glenn Biggs
graduated from Evangel
Temple Christian School in
Grand Prairie in 1982.

Portrait taken of Biggs in 1988.

Chante Mallard

Chante Mallard (left) is accused of striking
Gregory Biggs with her car and leaving him
to die in the windshield.

STAR-TELEGRAM ARCHIVES/RODGER MALLISON

Chante Mallard attends a hearing in March 2002 that increased her bail to $250,000. Two men have pleaded guilty in the case and are expected to testify for the prosecution.

STAR-TELEGRAM ARCHIVES/JOYCE MARSHALL

Gregory Glenn Biggs died within hours of being struck after Chante Mallard parked her car inside the garage of her house at 3840 Wilbarger Street , according to the Tarrant County medical examiner.

Gregory Biggs

Thread history on this story:

06-27-2003
Mallard gets 60 years

06-27-2003
Windshield viper cries for mercy/
Son of homeless man takes stand again (#295)

06-26-2003
Mallard found guilty in windshield death case -
guilty of murder and tampering with evidence

06-26-2003
Windshield Verdict - Breaking Thread

06-25-2003 Trial Report
Defense, prosecution rest in windshield case

06-25-2003
Chante Mallard Testifies in Sentencing Phase of Trial

06-25-2003 Trial Report
Fire captain: It wasn't too late for man in windshield -
victim would have survived with medical aid

06-24-2003 Trial Report
Forensic scientist takes stand in windshield death
case - victim 'spit blood...gripped map holder'

06-23-2003 (Trial Begins)
Mallard pleads not guilty to murder - smoked pot,
took ecstasy and drank heavily before hit and run

06-23-2003
Trial begins in death-by-windshield case

Pre-Trial Articles:

06-22-2003
Windshield case: Was it murder?
(Chante Mallard Murder Trial)

06-18-2003
Windshield case attracts spotlight -
Mallard trial focuses natl media, legal eye on FW courts again

03-07-2002:
Man Lives 2 Days Stuck In Broken Windshield
(THIS IS UNBELIEVABLE - The woman should be SHOT!)

03-07-2002:
Police: Hit-Run Victim Lived Two Days Trapped in Windshield of Woman's Car

03-07-2002:
Texas Woman Charged With Allowing Hit-and-Run Victim to Die in Broken Windshield

03-07-2002:
Hit-and-run victim lodged in windshield for days

03-08-2002:
Woman accused of hitting man, leaving him to die on windshield
[Lawyer says case "overblown"]

03-08-2002:
Update on Man in Windshield story-
Woman had sex while man was dying in garage, "A mistake" she says

03-08-2002:
Police: Hit-run victim left to die in car windshield

03-09-2002:
Windshield death suspect back in jail - Bail raised to $250,000 -
Informant Receives Death Threats

03-13-2002:
Man died in hours, doctor says -
Windshield Hit & Run Murder Charge Stands - Suspect Still in Jail

03-15-2002:
Son sues suspect in windshield fatality -
Murder Suspect Still in Jail

[Consort]

Death Row inmates can give the gift of life by volunteering to go to "Life Row" where they would donate an organ, e,g., a lung, a kidney, an eye, etc., to dying/blinded crime victims or to dying/blind children, in return for not being executed. If they take life, they should give life.

[Between the Lines]

"We want to debunk the myth that death-row inmates are subhuman monsters needing to be killed,"

Stop right here!

This is not so altruistic as it may seem. Texas inmates are forbidden to enter into any moneymaking endeavors while behind bars, unless the Texas Dept. Of Corrections approves that endeavor and all profits beyond a meager monthly sum (I think $30 per inmate) must go to victims of crime.

If you are an indigent death row inmate, $30 is a lot of money and you would gladly put out any and all sappy sob stories to get it. Don't think their principles would prevent them from doing so, and don't believe that their motives are sincere or that they care about those who were made victims by their crimes. Obviously they chose this high profile case to demonstrate their compassion, but their motives are not altruistic but instead deceitful.

[Viva Le Dissention]

Wow, you're a real gem.

Just as food for thought, here is a recent Letter to the Editor from Compassion.

I recently received a copy of "Compassion" and was most impressed! As one who has been invited into prisons to speak about forgiveness and reconciliation across the
U.S. and Canada, "Compassion" affirms and confirms what I've seen over and over again and what I continue to advocate. Given the opportunity to rehabilitate, erase and undo old mean and violent "tracks" instilled by their
usually unhappy history and developing literacy and other innate skills, the inmates can grow to be repentant, caring persons and productive -- even exceptionally gifted -- citizens.

I continue to be amazed at the astounding ability of inmates who, denied life-giving options, STILL MANAGE to rise above limitations placed on them by the "system", and who grow and develop intellectually and spiritually in ways that put many of us in the "free" world to shame. My youngest daughter, seven-year-old Susie, was a
kidnap-murder victim, taken out of our tent during the night on a camping vacation in Montana. In all honesty at first, I'd have been happy taking the kidnapper's life with my bare hands and a smile on my face. But my
Catholic-Christian faith called me to try to see him through God's eyes -- THE OFFENDER IS JUST AS PRECIOUS TO GOD AS MY LITTLE GIRL. I believe in a God who's CRAZY ABOUT EACH AND EVERY ONE OF US, no matter what we've done,
and I had to put my money where my faith was. In the beginning, all I could do is to give God permission to change my heart, because God never violates His gift of free will. My conversion did not happen overnight -- forgiveness IS HARD work, it takes daily, diligent discipline -- but God was/is faithful and not only healed me of that terrible loss but also worked the miracle of
forgiveness in my heart; so much so that when the kidnapper was finally identified, arrested, and committed suicide in prison, I grieved as much at losing him as I did at learning that Susie's life had been taken from her
about a week after she'd been taken from me! When we returned to Montana to bury what was left of Susie after 15 months, after her funeral, I went to see the kidnapper's mother, hoping it would help her to know that I had
forgiven her son, and then, together, we were able to grieve as mothers who'd both lost our children. I realize when a life is taken -- all it does is make another victim and another grieving family, and another act of
violence does not honor my beautiful girl's memory. The reality is that I cannot undo her death, but I can work to save the lives of others by promoting opportunities for inmates to reclaim their lives and begin again.

God bless all the good work you're doing in that direction!

God's Peace, my prayers.

Marietta Jaeger Lane

[MeekOneGOP]

This is an unusual and amazing thing, imho. Pinging the Mallard Trial and Texas Ping lists ...

Thanks for the post and ping, folks ! ...

Death-Row Inmates Give $10,000 to Student

Excerpt:

DALLAS Oct. 23 — A college student whose father was hit by a car and left to die in the windshield then forgave the woman who did it was awarded a $10,000 scholarship raised by death-row inmates.

The money for Brandon Biggs, 20, was raised through donations and subscriptions to "Compassion," a bimonthly newsletter written by the nation's death-row inmates and a project of the Roman Catholic church's peace and justice committee.

Chante Mallard

Chante Mallard (left) is accused of striking
Gregory Biggs with her car and leaving him
to die in the windshield.

Please let me know if you want ON or OFF my Chante Mallard Murder Trial or Texas ping list!. . .don't be shy.

[Viva Le Dissention]

You know their motives? You can read their minds?

Get off it.

[Xenalyte]

No matter what went wrong in his life, Biggs had kind eyes, even in that last photo. Bet he really was a good guy.

[Xenalyte]

There is no forgiveness in my heart for someone who kills another.

[Viva Le Dissention]

How very Christian of you.

When it comes right down to it, we're all human beings, and everyone deserves forgiveness. While these people certainly need to be punished for their crimes, the best punishment is certainly not to execute these men.

As a civil society, at the very least, we shouldn't stoop to the level of the criminals in our actions. Our current criminal "justice" system is a sad state of affairs for several reasons, capital punishment certainly not the least of which.

[Xenalyte]

I never claimed to be a good Christian. I try my best, but not being divine, I fail constantly. One of my failings is a lack of forgiveness for those who violate God's creation. It's up to Him to forgive. Hell, it's His job.

[Between the Lines]

You know their motives? You can read their minds? Get off it.

I was incarcerated in the Texas Dept. of Corrections for 8 years. Yes, I know their motives. The only motive they have is survival. Anything you have to do to survive you do.

[MeekOneGOP]

I agree. Biggs had a few turns of what some might call 'bad luck' and had messed up. But he was on track to get his life back on track when Chante Mallard came along and pull her evil deed of concealing his body after she had mangled it all up.

She got more of a break than he did. She should be on Death Row herself with these other losers ...

[Viva Le Dissention]

Don't you think that as a Christian you at least owe it to yourself and God to attempt to forgive these people that err?

From another issue of Compassion, an interview with the same woman who wrote the letter I posted earlier:

(Ms. Lane’s seven year old daughter was kidnapped and murdered. She worked toward forgiveness
of her childs killer and has visited prisons speaking about her experience and offering inspiring words
to those she sees. She is on the board of Murder Victims Families for Reconciliation.)

How were you able to arrive at forgiveness?
My struggle to come to forgiveness was indeed very difficult; it took daily, diligent discipline. I’d have to say that my foremost motivation was wanting to live out my Catholic Christian faith with integrity, and to do that meant that I was accountable to God to practice forgiveness. But we are human beings, creatures of time and space, and it takes time and space to heal, so forgiveness did not happen overnight. I had to start with giving God
permission to change my heart because I couldn’t do it by myself and I believe in a God who never violates the
gift of free will. Then I had to cooperate in all the ways I could — by reminding myself daily that my faith tells
me that the kidnapper of my daughter was just as precious to God as she was, by speaking of him with respectful and not derogatory terms, and praying for him daily, genuinely trying to want him to experience God loving and blessing him.

How do you explain your philosophy to other murder victim family members?

I often speak to murder victim families and I always start by telling them that in the beginning I wanted to kill
the kidnapper myself, but, although I struggled with it, the bottom line for me was what my faith called me
to (forgiveness) and my own knowledge that hatred was not healthy. I also tell them that in the 25-plus years
I’ve been working with folks like them, I’ve seen repeatedly that people who retain a vindictive mindset,
however justified they feel, only end up giving the offender another victim – themselves. Healing only comes
with letting go of the rage and desire for revenge. But, I also tell them that forgiveness takes time and that God
will be faithful to them if they start to work towards it. God was willing to wait a million years for the dinosaurs
to finish eating the leaves off the trees before he ever brought us humans on the scene; he has patience
aplenty to wait for and work with us if we’re trying to do what’s right and life-giving, for victim and offender
alike.

How do you feel about those who are wrongly convicted on death row?

I find it terribly difficult to think about the inconsolate angst of wrongly-convicted death-row prisoners. I
know the helplessness I felt. I, through my daughter’s horrible death, was victimized by a person; they are
victimized by the “system”. Years of their lives have been stolen from them and just as I will never see my
daughter again in this world, they will never regain those years taken from them. I can certainly understand
their anger and bitterness; I’ve known those feelings too. And, just as it seems that the kidnapper had control
over me, so, too, does it seem that the “system” has control over them. But it can never own their souls,
their hearts, their spirits, the place where we can always be free, whatever our external circumstances, if they
do not let “them” fill their very beings with hate. If they do, the system will have won; the system’s treatment
of them will have determined their response. But if they choose not to have their feelings determined by
others’ behavior, if they choose not to have their psychic energy drained from them by negative feelings, and
instead use their free will to choose for themselves what will be most life-giving to them – faith, hope, civility,
moral behavior and forgiveness, they will retain their own inmost power and they will survive with human
hearts still capable of friendship, trust, love, understanding and compassion. They will be mentors, mediators, life-givers and life-savers in the cruel, mean, and brutal barbed-wire existence of prison.

What message of hope can you give death row prisoners?

Also, as a woman a faith, I would be remiss if I did not remind that God is crazy about each and every one
of us, no matter who we are or what we’ve ever done, and that if we call out to God, He will hear our prayer
and be faithful to come to our aid in ways we might never have realized. Our spirits, the place where the Divine
Life dwells within us, will triumph and God will be our recompense. We will find that we will have gained far
more than we have lost. That is my own inexorable experience; that is what God wants to do for all of us! But
God needs our genuine faith in the God we need in order to be the God we need. Not that God can’t be totally,
all-powerful God, but again, God will not renege on the freedom all creation is given as a free gift. God gives
us the right to choose; our faith is the key to the reality we seek. We need to believe in a God we cannot feel,
we cannot hear, we cannot understand. We need to believe, not in a God who’s “out to get us if we’re bad”
but in a God who’s grieving with us and for us, a God who wants joy and gladness and blessing for us, no
matter what seems to be happening to us. That is what faith is. It’s a tough order, but we will not be
disappointed. But – all of this takes discipline, daily diligent discipline and prayer, too. In that sense, in a
perverse sort of way, persons on Death Row are blessed. They have the time to practice that discipline, and
pray those prayers. And, God will not fail them or forsake them! Many of us on the outside work constantly
to abolish capital punishment, but even if their physical lives are taken from them, as horrible and scandalous
as that is, their spirits will live for all eternity, in a place of peace, joy and freedom.

Interview with Marietta Jaeger Lane

[Viva Le Dissention]

No, you don't know the motives of these people.

Maybe their motives are bad, maybe not. We simply don't know. I think that frankly we should give these people the benefit of the doubt, especially when they are working for a laudable goal.