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Forgiveness: Thoughts on Leesa Gray, Thomas Loden, Jr., Wanda Ferris and the Perpetuation of Evil<\/p>\n
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I remember my exact thought when I heard about the murder of 16-year-old Leesa Gray:\u00a0 \u201cThis is the stuff that nightmares are made of.\u201d<\/p>\n
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On June 22, 2000, Gray was driving down a rural Mississippi road when her tire went flat.\u00a0 Pulling off to the shoulder and turning on her flashers, the young woman prayed that someone would stop and help her.<\/p>\n
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Around 10:45pm, United States\u2019 Marine Corp recruiter Thomas Loden, Jr. pulled up in his van.\u00a0 Instead of offering help, Loden grabbed Gray and threw her in the back of his van.\u00a0 After turning on a video camera to record the evil, Loden rapped Gray for over four hours before strangling her to death.<\/p>\n
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In September of 2001, Loden pled guilty to all of it.\u00a0 Immediately following his plea, Loden apologized.\u00a0 For his horrific crimes, Loden received the death penalty.\u00a0 Loden further remarked to the Gray family, \u201cI hope this will give y\u2019all some peace.\u201d<\/p>\n
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I\u2019ve heard it argued that the death penalty should be reserved for the \u201cworst of the worst.\u201d\u00a0 Repeatedly, I\u2019ve made the argument that certain folks on death row are not the \u201cworst of the worst.\u201d\u00a0 I don\u2019t think I can make that argument in this situation.\u00a0 This crime definitely fits into the category of the \u201cworst of the worst.\u201d\u00a0 Loden\u2019s actions are pure evil.<\/p>\n
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Proponents of the death penalty would prefer that the arguments end there.\u00a0 Most would prefer to execute Loden themselves.\u00a0 It seems to me that such thinking is what got us into this mess in the first place.<\/p>\n
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Thomas Loden, Jr. served in the military for 18 years\u2026including in combat in Operation Desert Storm.\u00a0 Unquestionably, his mind was destroyed by the things that we asked him to do.<\/p>\n
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Recently, I\u2019ve heard Leesa Gray\u2019s mother, Wanda Ferris, talk about the upcoming execution of Loden on Wednesday (December 14, 2022).<\/p>\n
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First of all, I can\u2019t imagine what she\u2019s been through.\u00a0 Every prayer that I can muster is with her.\u00a0 This entire situation is senseless.\u00a0 I hope that she feels comforted by the love of all who have been touched by this situation.<\/p>\n
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But\u2026I couldn\u2019t help but be struck by something that I have repeatedly heard her say\u2026something to the degree of, \u201cI forgive Thomas Loden, Jr. but I still want him executed.\u201d<\/p>\n
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As much as I pray for Wanda Ferris, it is imperative to state that you can\u2019t forgive someone and still want them executed.\u00a0 Such talk is about vengeance not forgiveness.\u00a0 Isn\u2019t forgiveness connected to hope?\u00a0 Where\u2019s the hope in killing Mr. Loden?<\/p>\n
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In addition to supporting the execution, Ms. Ferris plans to attend the execution of Thomas Loden, Jr\u2026praying that she will find peace in the moment.\u00a0 Make no mistake, there will be no peace found in killing. \u00a0Judging by his many extreme acts of remorse (cutting \u201cI\u2019m Sorry\u201d into his chest), Loden knows that as well as anybody.<\/p>\n
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From the murder of Leesa Gray to the murder of Thomas Loden, Jr., the result of murder will always be the same\u2026the perpetuation of evil.<\/p>\n
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Amen.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u00a0 Forgiveness: Thoughts on Leesa Gray, Thomas Loden, Jr., Wanda Ferris and the Perpetuation of Evil \u00a0 I remember my exact thought when I heard about the murder of 16-year-old Leesa Gray:\u00a0 \u201cThis is the stuff that nightmares are made of.\u201d \u00a0 On June 22, 2000, Gray was driving down a rural Mississippi road when […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2509,"featured_media":10056,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,10],"tags":[1132,6804,2302,6810,6807,6801,6606],"class_list":["post-10053","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-freshwritings","category-thoughts","tag-execution","tag-leesa-gray","tag-mississippi","tag-parchman-prison","tag-tate-reeves","tag-thomas-loden-jr","tag-wanda-jean-allen"],"yoast_head":"\n