An exonerated death-row inmate, a mother of a man on death row and a murder victim’s family member all came to Western to share their stories Thursday night.

They started telling those stories at 6 p.m. in the Mass Media Auditorium as part of Journey of Hope, an organization that conducts public education speaking tours and addresses alternatives to the death penalty, according to the organization’s Web site.

Western was the last stop of the Journey of Hope tour through Kentucky, according to the organization’s Web site.

Bill Pelke of Anchorage, Alaska shared the story of his grandmother, who was stabbed to death in 1985.

Pelke’s grandmother, Ruth, was murdered in her home in Gary, Ind., in 1985 by four teenage girls. Paula Cooper, one of the accused, was deemed the ringleader and sentenced to death almost a year later.

Pelke said he tried to get Cooper off of death row — she was 15 when she murdered Pelke’s grandmother, he said.

After praying, Pelke said he thought his grandmother wouldn’t want Cooper on death row.

“Nana wanted me to have love and compassion,” he said

Through Pelke’s and international campaign efforts, Cooper was taken off of death row in the fall of 1989, Pelke said.

Shujaa Graham, an exonerated death-row inmate, was accused of murdering a prison guard, he said.

After three years on death row, Graham said he was proven innocent and exonerated.

“I have been out of prison 28 years,” he said. “I still feel the pain.”

Terri Steinberg is a mother of death-row inmate Justin Wolfe, who was convicted in Virginia of hiring someone to murder his friend, Danny Petrole.

Petrole was murdered by Owen Barber, who said he was hired by Wolfe to kill Petrole, Steinberg said.

In 2007, Barber admitted that he lied to the jury about Wolfe’s involvement with the murder to avoid the death penalty and to satisfy prosecutors, according to the Justin Wolfe Web site.

Though Barber admitted he lied, the state won’t use this evidence in another trial because he confessed after the deadline for the appeal, Steinberg said.

Many Western students and faculty members attended the event as well as Bowling Green residents, including Scott Stringer and his son Jonathan, who’s in Boy Scout Troop 710.

“We are active in the Catholic community and also in the scouting program,” Stringer said. “Our Scoutmaster urged us to come and listen to the message.”

Atlanta freshman Darra Jackson said the event was inspirational.

“I thought the event would try to force me into not believing in the death penalty,” she said. “But their stories touched me, and I think the death penalty is wrong and cruel.”

Hartford sophomore Aaron Daniel said the stories were very powerful.

“Most people think people who are on death row are monsters, but after seeing someone who was, it really changes my opinion,” he said. “I’m still undecided on whether I support the death penalty or not, but I’m leaning toward not.”