U.S.: Rapid City mom puts last hope in pope's letter for son on Texas' death row

A Rapid City mother whose son will be executed by the state of Texas on May 12 said Wednesday that she has little hope that a possible plea for clemency from Pope Benedict XVI to Gov. Rick Perry will convince the Texas governor to spare her son's life.

"Who knows whether it will mean anything to Gov. Perry?" Beth Varga said of the attempt by a Rome organization that opposes the death penalty to involve the Vatican.

Kevin Varga, 41, is scheduled to die on May 12 at the Huntsville State Prison in Texas for the 1998 beating murder of David Logie during a robbery.

An Italian woman, Stefania Silva, asked the Vatican to intervene on Varga's behalf. Silva received a letter from the office of Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Bertone dated April 21 promising that her request had been forwarded to the Papal Nuncio in Washington, D.C., who may forward a clemency plea in the name of Pope Benedict to both the governor and the Texas Board of Pardons. Varga's case has garnered attention in the Italian media because of efforts by Silva and her Comitato Paul Rougeau, an anti-death penalty group.

The letter, translated from Italian, states: "I want to inform you that this matter has been brought to the attention of the Papal Nuncio in Washington indicating the possibility to ask in the name of the Holy Father clemency to both the Governor and the Board of Pardons."

"I wouldn't have had the guts, or the pull, to write the Pope," said Beth Varga, who is not Catholic. Her family, Jewish by birth, and has lived in Mobridge, Sioux Falls and Rapid City over the years, she said. Varga has lived in Rapid City and worked at Wal-Mart for the past three years until moving to Texas a month ago to be near her son as his execution date approaches. Kevin Varga's brother, Sean, and his son, Stephan, 20, currently live in Rapid City.

"I'm trying to save his life," said Varga, who is resigned, but not prepared, to witness her son's execution. "You're never prepared for this. I've already buried two children, and you're never prepared for it."

Varga lost a 6-year old son to leukemia and her eldest son, Richard, was shot to death at the age of 18 in Texas. Kevin was 16 when his older brother died and he soon fell into a life of crime, his mother said. "Kevin's been in and out of trouble his whole life."

Convicted of capital murder, Varga maintains that he was present at the robbery but not involved in the beating death of Logie. He and three other people were convicted in Logie's death in Texas. They committed a similar robbery-murder in Wichita, Kan., prior to Logie's death. Billy Galloway is scheduled to die the day after Varga for his role in the murder.

"One of the reasons we're trying so hard to save his life is that Kevin was found guilty of being there, and the death penalty seems too harsh a punishment for that," Beth Varga said.

Varga is opposed to the death penalty in all cases, even for Galloway, who she believes did the actual killing of David Logie.

She is not expecting a stay of execution, but she is hoping for a miracle. "From everything we know now, Kevin will die very soon," she said. "But if God wants to spare Kevin's life, then nothing Gov. Perry can do will prevent that."

"This is my opinion of Gov. Perry. He and Hitler are going to share a little spot in Hell. The man kills people... and then washes his hands of it," she said.

Source: RapidCityJournal, April 28, 2010

Kevin Varga's "Death Watch Journal" can be read here.

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