Will Berry was just 11 when his mother was murdered.

Thirty-three-year-old Margaret Parrish Berry was shot in the head during a robbery at the gas station where she worked and Geoffrey West was 21 when he pulled the trigger.

Ahead of West’s planned execution by nitrogen gas on Thursday in Alabama, Mr Berry and West have exchanged letters.

West conveyed remorse, while Mr Berry responded with forgiveness. Both asked to meet in person, though prison officials denied their request. Mr Berry also sent a letter to Alabama Governor Kay Ivey asking her to stop the execution.

“I forgive this guy, and I don’t want him to die,” Berry said in a phone interview.

“I don’t want the state to take revenge in my name or my family’s name for my mother.”

Relatives of murder victims often clash over the

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