07 December 2017 :

Parents of murdered woman seek end to executions. The parents of Ann Grosmaire, a young woman who was killed, chose to forgive his killer, and they want to stop executions in Florida. The last day of November marks the annual International Day of Cities for Life protests to put an end the death penalty. Pushing in that fight for Florida are parents Andy and Kate Grosmaire. Their daughter, Ann, was shot and killed by her boyfriend Conor McBride, now 26, after an argument. It happened March 28, 2010. Ann was 19. She and McBride were dating for 3 years. Charged with 1st-degree murder, McBride could have received the death penalty, but Grosmaire's parents plead with the state attorney to lessen his charge. "Instead of turning to anger and bitterness, we forgave him for that," said mom Kate. "We worked with the state attorney to send him to prison for life." Their appeal got him 20 years in prison instead, with 10 years probation. "We worked through a process called restorative justice," she said. "We were able to sit down in a room and share with him what our daughter's loss meant to us and he was able to tell us the details of what happened that night." By choosing to forgive their daughter's killer, they've joined the national movement to end the death penalty. The Grosmaires say the better alternative is life without parole. The death penalty won't bring their daughter back or give her justice. Turning their pain into purpose, they hope their story will help others. "It's not that we forget our loved ones but through forgiveness we are no longer tied to the person who has caused us so much harm" father Andy said.