Nearly 30 years after the execution-style killing of his mother during a gas station robbery, Will Berry is asking Alabama officials to spare the life of Geoffrey Todd West, the death row inmate scheduled for execution in two days.
Margaret Parrish Berry, 33, was found dead behind the checkout counter at a gas station in Etowah County, Alabama, on March 28, 1997. She was working alone, and no witnesses saw the crime. The thief stole $250 from a cookie jar used to hold the store’s money.
West, 21 at the time, was arrested and convicted of capital murder in connection with the robbery. He was sentenced to death in 1999, though the judge noted the hardship of sentencing someone so young to death.
West never denied killing Margaret. He said he and his girlfriend, desperate for cash, targeted the gas station where he had worked. Now 50, West expressed deep regret.
“There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t regret it,” he said. “I wish I could take that back.”
Will Berry, then only 11 years old, is now advocating for West’s life. “I forgive this guy, and I don’t want him to die,” Will said. “I don’t want the state to take revenge in my name or my family’s name.”
Will credits his wife and church for helping him cope with the trauma and says his mother taught him the power of forgiveness.
“There shouldn’t be any more death. There should be healing and moving forward,” he said.
Despite Will’s plea and a letter to Governor Kay Ivey, the governor declined to halt the execution, emphasizing her duty to uphold Alabama law, which mandates death for the most severe murders.
Attorney General Steve Marshall affirmed the governor’s stance, stating West’s sentence “is due” after 26 years on death row.
West’s execution is set for Thursday by nitrogen hypoxia. Before his scheduled death, he urged others facing hardship to seek help rather than resort to violence.
“If you don’t have anywhere else to go, go to church, find a priest, and just tell them everything,” West said. “You’ve got an option, even if you don’t feel like it.”
Requests for a meeting between Berry and West were denied by the prison system due to security concerns.
