---
title: 'Journey of Hope . . . From Violence to Healing'
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/resources/publications-and-testimony/books/journey-of-hope-from-violence-to-healing'
section: publications
date: '2003-10-01T00:00:00-04:00'
updated: '2025-03-14T14:52:36-04:00'
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).