In 1997, 33-year-old Margaret Parrish Berry was shot and killed during a robbery at the gas station where she worked. She was a mother of two, and her loss left her family devastated.

Now, 26 years later, her son, Will Berry, is pleading with the State of Alabama not to execute the man who killed her.

Will Berry was just 11 years old when his mother died. He’s lived with that trauma every day since. But today, as an adult, he has chosen something rare and courageous: forgiveness.

The man convicted of her murder, Geoffrey West, does not deny what he did. He was 21 at the time, desperate and directionless. Now 50, West says he replays the moment daily with grief and remorse. He has expressed deep sorrow to Berry in letters, and both men asked to meet in person — a request the prison denied.

Berry has written to Alabama Governor Kay Ivey, urging her to stop the execution.

“I forgive this guy, and I don’t want him to die,” he said. “I don’t want the state to take revenge in my name.”

This is a plea from the victim’s own family to show mercy — not because justice doesn’t matter, but because healing does.

We call on:

Governor Kay Ivey to commute Geoffrey West’s death sentence
The Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles to review this case with compassion
State lawmakers to consider the voice of survivors who do not want execution carried out in their names

Killing Geoffrey West will not bring Margaret Berry back. But honoring her son’s call for mercy can prevent another life from being lost in her name.

Sign this petition to support Will Berry’s plea for compassion and help stop the execution.