EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — The Texas Coalition Against the Death Penalty hosted a vigil for David Renteria on Thursday outside of the county courtroom.
“I would like to remind us of the commandment “Thou shalt not kill in a period”,” Beatrice Donnellan with the Texas Coalition Against the Death Penalty said.
The group told KTSM the death penalty is broken, political and is a barbaric system.
“It promises families closure and peace and it cannot deliver on that. Really, the only thing it delivers on is revenge,” Pat Delgado with the Texas Coalition Against the Death Penalty said.
The group feels that Renteria’s life should be spared as some of his school mates said he was:
A good student
Obedient
Respectful
Did everything he was supposed to
Delgado said things happen and people get into situations.
“I don’t believe we should do an eye for an eye or a tooth for a tooth. Jesus said, turn your cheek. And so, I think we need to think about forgiveness,” Carol Zuccarino with the Texas Coalition Against the Death Penalty said.
The group said they feel for both the family of 5-year-old Alexandra Flores and Renteria but agreed that people change.
“There’s no respect for the process of, you know, realizing what someone has done and allowing them to repent, to ask for forgiveness,” Delgado said.
Delgado told KTSM it’s horrific what happened to Flores but the death penalty is not a deterrent.
“It doesn’t solve that problem and I just hope that they can now move on and actually just remember the child, and celebrate the child, and understand that whatever happens, they need to, you know, try to let go of that anger,” said Delgado.
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