Article on Marietta Jaeger Lane in last month's Catholic Anchor



Death penalty opponent brings message of forgiveness to Alaska
Despite losing a child she learned to forgive

By James DeCrane
Anchor Writer

Losing a child is every parent’s worst nightmare. For Marietta Jaeger-Lane, that nightmare became a reality during a family camping trip in 1973, when a kidnapper snatched her 7-year-old daughter from her tent in the middle of the night.

On the anniversary of the kidnapping, her daughter’s abductor called Jaeger-Lane, initially to taunt her about the crime. Surprising even herself, Jaeger-Lane remained on the line with the man, filled with compassion for him. The two talked for over an hour and a half. Tracing the phone call, FBI agents managed to arrest the abductor, find the body of Jaeger-Lane’s daughter and charge the man with murder.

The yearlong manhunt tested the limits of Jaeger-Lane’s faith.

Her strong relationship with God, through her Catholic faith, not only helped give her strength to persevere through the tragedy, it also led her to forgive and pray for her daughter’s kidnapper. While police scoured the nation looking for the man, Jaeger-Lane prayed not only for her daughter, but also for her abductor, "that he would experience the love of God."

Through out the ordeal, Jaeger-Lane embraced the Catholic teaching that every human life is sacred and she embarked on a crusade to abolish the death penalty. She is active with "Journey of Hope," a national organization that helps families and friends cope with the murder of a loved one.

On July 7, Jaeger-Lane spoke with the Anchor regarding her upcoming trip to Alaska, where she plans to give several talks about the death penalty. The following interview was edited for length and clarity.


Q: How has your Catholic faith and the teachings of the church informed your position regarding the death penalty?



Jaeger-Lane: As a Catholic, I had to put my money where my mouth was and approach justice the way God does. Ultimately, through prayer, I came to realize that in God’s eyes, the suspected killer’s life was just as important as my daughter’s. That man had a dignity because God has chosen him, and I had to respect that dignity.

The first thing I did when I got home from the camping trip was to go out and buy a readable Bible. In the process of reading it, God spoke to me very clearly that I was supposed to pray for my enemies. That was the last thing I wanted to do, I wanted him to be miserable like I was miserable. But out of nothing more than obedience, I did pray for him. Through time I found that it was easier.

When he called on the anniversary of my daughter’s kidnapping, everything that I had been working for came to fruition. It was no longer a matter of something that I should do; I felt real compassion for him as a suffering person. Even though he was taunting me on the phone, trying to get me riled up, I felt compassion and concern for him. I realized then that God blessed him and loved him through me.


Q: How were you able to work through your anger with your daughter’s kidnapper and move towards one of compassion?



Jaeger-Lane: It’s hard work! Those who say that forgiveness is for wimps have never tried it before, because it is very difficult. It’s a lot like being an alcoholic in recovery, you take it day-by-day, sometimes even minute-by-minute. That meant I had to sit on my tongue and put derogatory terms behind.

I don’t believe for a minute that my daughter’s life was meant to be taken. I do believe that God allowed the situation to be used for something good. I also believe that Susie is happy, celebrating in the arms of God, and not suffering anymore.



Q: Many people feel that the death penalty is justice for certain crimes and have a hard time understanding the importance of forgiveness. How would you address those concerns?



Jaeger-Lane: For me as a Catholic, I spent a lot of time praying about what God’s idea of justice was. Jesus is the Word of God made flesh and the justice of God made flesh. In scripture, I don’t see him as a punisher, but as a healer. Jesus came to the earth to teach us to live in peace. His primary mission was one of restoration, re-uniting us with God the Father.

When we use violence to kill another person, we stoop to their level. Ultimately, it actually hurts us as a society. Think of the message that it sends, especially to our children, that it’s okay to use violence as a way to solve our problems.

The other thing about the death penalty is that it is so expensive and at the end of the day, it doesn’t work as a deterrent. States with the death penalty actually have higher rates of killing than those that do not.



Q: Why is it so important to educate Alaskans about the death penalty, especially since we don’t have capital punishment on the books?



Jaeger-Lane: There are always people in the criminal justice system that want to advance their careers by trying to introduce the death penalty, especially after a heinous murder crime. We kill people to teach people that killing people is wrong.My goal is to share my story to educate people, so the next time a push comes to re-introduce the death penalty, people will be more educated and make a decision for life and bring God’s peace to the world.