On February 5, 2003, the Community of Sant'Egidio presented four speakers on the death penalty in McGuinn Hall on the Boston College campus — retired Illinois judge Sheila Murphy, Paola Piscitelli of the Community of Sant'Egidio, Scott Langley of Amnesty International, and Tom Lowenstein of Murder Victims' Families for Reconciliation. The talk was co-sponsored by the Office of University Mission and Ministry, the American Constitution Society at BC Law School, and BC Students for Life.

Fr. Frank Herrmann, S.J., a member of the faculty at Boston College Law School and rector of the Boston College Jesuit community, introduced the speakers. Judge Murphy, the first speaker, told of her experience as a lawyer for Texas death row inmate Dominique Green. She said that Green would not be on death row today were it not for the composition of the jury, the testimony of co-defendants for a lesser sentence, an overzealous prosecution, and the fact that he could not afford the best defense laywers during his trial.

Paola Piscitelli related the story of the Community of Sant'Egidio and its involvement against the death penalty. She declared that every human life has value and reminded the audience that it is the poor in the United States who face execution.

Scott Langley called the death penalty a violation of international human rights. The United States is one of the few countries that still utilizes capital punishment, often in violation of international law. These executions undermine the United States' ability to fight other human rights violations. Langley said Amnesty International has recently focused on the execution of juveniles; especially Chris Solomon.

Tom Lowenstein, whose father was murdered in 1980, spoke of how the murder of a parent can leave children without proper income or guidance. He criticized those who take advantage of the families of victims by claiming to speak for them. Lowenstein stated that he is unable to forgive his father's murderer; yet, he remains a steadfast opponent of the death penalty: "that kind of hatred will destroy you and it will destroy the society that practices it."