Bill Pelke tells of the life-altering transformation that occurred after his 78-year-old grandmother was murdered by four teen-aged girls in his book, Journey of Hope…From Violence to Healing. Though at first he supported the death penalty for 15-year-old Paula Cooper, one of the young girls who had murdered his grandmother in her home for $10 and an old car, he later opposed her execution and successfully fought to have Cooper’s death sentence overturned. The book follows his personal journey over many years and features a forward by Sister Helen Prejean.
(Xlibris Corporation, September 2003). See Victims, Juvenile Death Penalty, and Books.
Citation Guide
- Death Penalty Information Center (2025, March 14). NEW RESOURCE: Book Details Pelke's Journey To Death Penalty Opponent. Retrieved October 2, 2026, from https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/new-resource-book-details-pelkes-journey-to-death-penalty-opponent
- Death Penalty Information Center. “NEW RESOURCE: Book Details Pelke's Journey To Death Penalty Opponent.” Last modified March 14, 2025. Accessed October 2, 2026. https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/new-resource-book-details-pelkes-journey-to-death-penalty-opponent.
- Death Penalty Information Center. “NEW RESOURCE: Book Details Pelke's Journey To Death Penalty Opponent.” Death Penalty Information Center, 14 Mar. 2025, https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/new-resource-book-details-pelkes-journey-to-death-penalty-opponent. Accessed 2 Oct. 2026.
