Cathy Henderson (pictured with Sr. Helen Prejean) is scheduled to be executed in Texas on April 18 for the 1994 murder of Brandon Baugh, an infant she was babysitting. Henderson would be the 12th woman put to death in the U.S. since capital punishment was reinstated. Since her arrest, Henderson has maintained that the child’s death was accidental. She said that she dropped the baby, fracturing his skull, and then panicked after realizing she could not revive him. She then buried the boy’s body and fled to Missouri, where authorities captured her nearly two weeks later. Henderson said that she is sorry for Brandon’s death and that she feels regret every day for the pain she caused his family. She notes, “I wish there was something I could do to comfort them, and if it’s going to comfort them to end my life for an accident, I hope this gives them comfort.”

Henderson’s spiritual advisor is Sister Helen Prejean, well-known author of “Dead Man Walking.” Sister Helen believes Brandon’s death was an accident. She said that the public needs to understand that Henderson is not a monster. “It’s easy to kill a monster. It’s hard to kill a real human being,” she noted.

The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear Henderson’s final appeal. She is seeking clemency from Texas Governor Rick Perry.
(Kansas City Star, March 1, 2007). See DPIC’s updated page on Women, and Arbitrariness . View a video interview of Henderson by the Kansas City Star (Windows Media Player.