‘Dead man walking’ nun speaks in Boardman

BOARDMAN — The author of “Dead Man Walking” never talked to anyone who had committed murder until she visited a pen pal inmate on death row in Louisiana in 1982.

“I looked into the face of a human being,” Sister Helen Prejean told 350 people who came to hear her speak Thursday at Antone’s Banquet Centre on Market Street. “I looked into his eyes and thought, ‘He’s worth more than the worst he’s ever done.’”

Patrick Sonnier was executed in Louisiana in 1984 for the rape and murder of Loretta Bourque, 18, and the murder of her date, David LeBlanc, 17. Sonnier’s brother, who was not the triggerman, is serving two life sentences for the 1977 crimes.

For more on this story, see Friday’s Vindicator or vindy.com