Forgiving The Dead Man Walking

A true, first-person account of the victim who survived the crimes committed by the rapist and killer made famous in the movie Dead Man Walking. Debbie Morris takes readers beyond the story of those crimes and into the journey of her faith as she wrestles with the question all of us face at some point in life: Is there any crime, any hurt, any person beyond the power of forgiveness?
It was just another time of enjoying milkshakes and small talk. Neither Debbie Cuevas nor her boyfriend, Mark Brewster, gave much thought to the white pickup truck that had pulled up beside them on the riverfront. Until a revolver thrust through the driver’s window a hand jerked Debbie’s head back and a voice said, “Don’t do anything stupid” and a quiet Friday evening abruptly became a nightmare. In the hours that followed, Debbie would experience atrocities too monstrous to conceive. Kidnapping, rape, torture, attempted murder these words cannot convey the horrors that would continue to poison her life long after her captors had been brought to justice. For the first time, here is the untold other half of Dead Man Walking, the movie that depicted killer Robert Willie’s death row relationship with spiritual advisor Helen Prejean. Now the woman whose testimony helped send Willie to the electric chair tells her side of the story – the side America hasn’t heard.
In gripping detail, Debbie Morris – formerly Debbie Cuevas – recounts her hours of terror and years of walking an agonizing road to wholeness. In this stunning, true story, she details a personal struggle far more difficult, and ultimately more amazing, than her remarkable survival of the crimes committed against her. Forgiving the Dead man Walking is a pulls no punches read, so riveting it practically turns the pages for you. More than that, though, it’s an incredible tale of courage, faith, and forgiveness. In a world where all of us struggle sooner or later with unforgiveness, Debbie Morris is a living testimony to the grace we long for: grace that shines more brightly than we dare to believe, bright enough to triumph over the darkest evil. In the face of today’s ongoing death penalty debate, Debbie offers wisdom qualified by an experience most of us thankfully will never know. She offers no answers she herself has not yet arrived at. Rather, she challenges us all to consider whether it is justice we truly require, or something more powerful that alone can heal the wounds of the unforgivable.