Marie Deans

Susan Marie Deans (June 8, 1940 – April 15, 2011) was an American anti-death penalty activist who was committed to finding attorneys for men who were facing execution without legal representation.

Deans recalled the moments just after she and her husband arrived to the crime scene, where "A young police officer, his uniform black in the night, came over and put his hand gently on my shoulder, telling me 'Don't worry, we'll catch the bastard and fry him."

But at this point, Deans began to put herself in the shoes of the killer's sister, and imagined the grief she would feel if her brother were killed by the state for committing a crime.

This organization was formed by people who, like Marie, opposed the death penalty and needed support after having a family member murdered.

Despite receiving a notably speedy trial with legal inconsistencies, prosecutorial misconduct, coerced confessions, and "evidence" from a poor investigation,[1] Giarratano was sentenced to death.

Deans worked to convince the Virginia justice system, all the way up to then-Governor L. Douglas Wilder, that Giarratano may have been falsely accused.

But Marie soldiered on, founding the Virginia Mitigation Project and continuing to work to bring justice and basic human rights to the men and women who faced death at the hands of the state.

During the service, eulogies were delivered by the Reverend Joseph Ingle, actor and death penalty activist Mike Farrell, attorney Lloyd Snook, and sons Joel McFadden and Robert Deans.