DEATH ROW ORGANIZATION RAISED MONEY TO PROVIDE COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIP FOR MURDER VICTIM’S BROTHER
June 6, 2005 Death row inmates across the country have raised $5,000 to help the brother of a murdered 4-year-old complete college and become a law enforcement officer. Through their bimonthly publication, Compassion, edited by Missouri death row inmate Dennis Skillicorn, the inmates are helping Zach Osborne of Jamestown, N.C., pursue a criminal justice degree at East Carolina University in Greenville, N.C. The award will be announced at a press conference Tuesday, June 7, 10 a.m., in the Community Room of the Greensboro Police Station, 300 S. Swing Road, Greensboro, N.C.
“Despite our bad choices, we still believe in the concept of right and wrong, and support what is right,” said Skillicorn.
In April 1992, when Zach was only six, his mother’s boyfriend raped and killed Zach’s younger sister, Natalie.
“Natalie’s death has haunted my family since the day she was found,” Zach wrote in his winning essay. “…Through realizing this dream (of becoming a law enforcement officer), I would play a key role in preventing situations like this from ever happening again.”
Death row inmates started Compassion in 2001 to raise money to send murdered victims’ family members to college. The inmates wanted to publish a newsletter that would develop healing communication between capital punishment offenders and murdered victims’ families, and give offenders a forum to express compassionate and introspective feelings. Most of the submissions address personal changes, admissions of remorse, encouragement to others to change their lives for the better.
The inmates’ focus and ultimate objective is to genuinely foster reconciliation between prisoners and the immediate family members of murdered victims. Compassion urges prisoners to set a new standard of moral decency for themselves.
They also wanted to establish a college scholarship fund for family members of murdered victims. The inmates donate their own funds or submit artwork, essays and poems to the publication, which is sold by subscription. This is their seventh scholarship, bringing the total amount awarded thus far to $21,000 (one recipient did not go on to college and returned the money).
Inmates were touched by Zach’s story and his plans to help prevent similar events in the future.
“We would like to support him in realizing his dream of becoming an officer of the law and finding a way to prevent future violence,” Skillicorn wrote in his May 2005 editorial. “Our intent is genuine.”
Fred Moor of St. Rose Parish, Perrysburg, Ohio, who oversees publication of Compassion, will coordinate presentation of the scholarship. Death row prisoners have authorized St. Rose Parish to handle all money transactions for their publication and scholarship fund. Inmates receive no compensation or special treatment for their efforts.
The letters and articles published in Compassion show the humanity of death row inmates and this is reflected throughout the publication, Moor said.
"Death row prisoners are not the sum of the worst act in their lives and they have potential to cultivate and achieve good,” Moor said. “Many [contributors] express that it has helped them in moving forward in a positive direction and through their writings many are able to help others.”
Victims’ family members who are interested in applying for a scholarship should contact Compassion at 140 South Boundary Street, Perrysburg, Ohio, 43551, or call (419) 874-1333. Their view on the death penalty is neither asked nor considered.