---
title: "NEW RESOURCE: Book Details Pelke's Journey To Death Penalty Opponent"
description: '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…'
canonical: 'https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/new-resource-book-details-pelkes-journey-to-death-penalty-opponent'
section: news
date: '2005-03-29T17:28:57-05:00'
updated: '2025-03-14T14:23:50-04:00'
source: 'Death Penalty Information Center'
---

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](/victims-and-death-penalty?did=573&scid=62), [Juvenile Death Penalty](/juveniles-and-death-penalty?did=205&scid=27), and [Books](/books-death-penalty?did=130&scid=20).