Death-Row Inmates Give $10,000 to Student

[Dionysos]

Death-Row Inmates Give $10,000 to Student
Thu Oct 23, 9:17 AM ET


By ANGELA K. BROWN, Associated Press Writer

DALLAS - A college student whose father was hit by a car and left to die in the windshield — and who forgave the woman who did it — was awarded a $10,000 scholarship raised by death-row inmates.

The money for Brandon Biggs, 20, was raised through donations and subscriptions to "Compassion," a bimonthly newsletter written by the nation's death-row inmates and a project of the Roman Catholic church's peace and justice committee.

"We want to debunk the myth that death-row inmates are subhuman monsters needing to be killed," said Rick Halperin, the Texas death-penalty abolition coordinator for Amnesty International USA.

Gregory Biggs was walking on the side of a Fort Worth highway in October 2001 when he was hit. With his torso inside the car and his broken legs lodged in the windshield, he held onto the inside passenger door panel as the car kept going, according to court testimony. Authorities said Chante Mallard drove home and left Biggs in the windshield to die, despite his pleas for help. She was convicted in June of murder and sentenced to 50 years in prison. She was not eligible for the death penalty; her maximum punishment would have been life in prison.

The scholarship is for relatives of any murder victims, not just those in death-penalty cases. During her trial, Mallard apologized to Biggs. Biggs later said he forgave Mallard. "I still want to extend my forgiveness to Chante Mallard and I want the Mallard family to know that they are in my prayers," he said Wednesday.