Jim & Ann Fowler

Jim and Ann Fowler of Oklahoma City and their family have probably lived through more aspects of the death penalty issue than anyone else in America. 

Jim's son Mark was convicted and sentenced to death in 1986 for killing  three people during a robbery at a grocery store in Edmond, Okla., with Billy  Ray Fox.  Three months after Mark's conviction, Jim's mother Goldie was raped and murdered in Oklahoma City and a man named Robert Miller was convicted and sentenced to death. Ten years later, with the help of Barry Scheck, Mr. Miller was exonerated by DNA evidence and released.  Ronald Lott was later convicted and sentenced to death in December 2001.      

As Catholics, Jim and Ann believe in the sanctity of all life, and yet their requests that the prosecuting attorney not seek the death penalty in Lott's case are being ignored. The attorney believed Jim and Ann were only trying to spare their son's life and dismissed the possibility they are against the death penalty in the case of Jim's mother's accused killer.  Jim plans to testify during the "victim's impact statement" portion of the trial about his opposition to Lott receiving a death sentence.

Mark Fowler was executed January 23, 2001.  Jim and Ann witnessed his execution with Mark's uncle, Catholic priest Father Gregory Gier, friend  Cathy Nelson, attorney Pat Ehlers, investigator Kim Marks, and Father Bryan Brooks.  Father Diaz was given the unprecidented opportunity to give Mark his last rites and touch him as Mark was executed. 

Outside the penitentiary gates more than 200 people gathered to pray with other members of the Fowler family and friends during Mark's execution.  After the execution, Jim and Ann emerged from the darkness holding hands, and then Jim raised his hands above his head in triumph: "He got away!," Jim joyfully exclaimed. "In four days this place is going to have a lock down, because my boy got away!"

As a final gift of love to his son, Jim built a wooden box in which to hold Mark's ashes.  He painted crosses on the lid to symbolize family members who passed away before Mark, feathers on the sides to symbolize his living family members, and laid a ceramic cross Jim made for his mother on top.  Over 200 people attended Mark's funeral three days after his execution.