Today, I drive my mother to Huntsville, Texas where the man who murdered one of her younger sisters and 5 others over 10 years ago will be executed by lethal injection. I had no interest in being present but she planned to go in support of her niece and nephew, at least one of whom plans to witness it. She is 77 and I did not want her driving that distance alone. We will remain outside the facility while the officials carry it out.

The whole thing seems nothing but tragic.

My aunt lived a vibrant, engaged life. Hundreds turned out for her funeral. It stunned me to see how many people she had touched. I have attended my share of funerals – former division 1 coaches, community leaders, obscure grandmothers… Rhoda had no fame to generate such an attendance. Her life and faith – based on my experience and the testimonies at the funeral – appear in hindsight as extraordinary. Her loss devastated her family and friends. Untimely and tragic.

The man who committed the heinous act surely had a terrible life. He was fired from the workplace with just cause. Nothing can excuse what he did. I have no doubt his entire story reads like a classic tragedy. I pray he has truly repented in sorrow and placed his faith in Jesus, but I have no idea of his condition or attitude. His life and death are tragic.

The government will administer justice, which is within it’s right to do. Though aspects of capital punishment seriously trouble me, this is not a case of mistaken identity. No DNA could exonerate. The guilty party will suffer the ultimate consequence of his actions. Perhaps timely (or well past timely) but tragic nevertheless.

His death will bring a certain chapter to a close for our family, but I don’t really know what that means. I am certain my aunt would want everyone she was close to to come to faith in Jesus. Tragically, that is not currently the case. My hope is that the story will continue, her legacy will contribute to the spiritual formation of her family and that the story of those who remain spiritually lost will not end at the point of a justly administered lethal injection of the murderer who took so much away from us.