“Dead Man Walking” Author to Lecture at Law School

Sister Helen Prejean, author of “Dead Man Walking”.

INDIANAPOLIS – Sister Helen Prejean, author of “Dead Man Walking,” will lecture at IUPUI at 3:30 p.m., Friday, Nov. 10, 2006, in the Wynne Courtroom of the IU School of Law-Indianapolis, 530 W. New York St.

The event, sponsored by the Law Students Against Capital Punishment, is free and open to the general public.

A reception and book signing will follow the lecture at 5 p.m. in the law school’s Conour Atrium.

Sister Helen Prejean began her prison ministry in 1981 when she dedicated her life to the poor of New Orleans. While living in the St. Thomas housing project, she became pen pals with Patrick Sonnier, the convicted killer of two teenagers. Sonnier was sentenced to die in the electric chair of Louisiana’s Angola state Prison. Prejean was his spiritual advisor in the months preceding his execution.

In “Dead Man Walking,” a book about her experiences, Prejean discusses the human impact of violent crimes and the consequences of the death penalty. The book stayed on the New York Times’ bestseller list for 31 weeks. The movie based on the book received four Oscar nominations.

The author continues to educate the public on the death penalty, and counsels the families of murder victims, as well as inmates on death row. Her latest book “The Death of Innocents” is the story of the execution of two men Prejean believed were innocent.

For additional information, contact Kyle Galster at 317-274-1916 or kgalster@iupui.edu.