Relative of murder victims speaks on mercy, peace

For nearly two decades, Jeanne Bishop never uttered the name of the man who killed her sister, brother-in-law and their unborn child.

Then a few years ago, Bishop found herself staring into the eyes of David Biro at the Pontiac Correctional Center in Pontiac.

She was there to learn more about Biro, who was now serving three life sentences without parole, in an attempt to reconcile with him for what he had done while a 16-year-old student at New Trier High School in Winnetka.

Bishop will discuss her relationship with Biro and the treatment of juvenile offenders within the criminal justice system in "Restorative Justice - Justice, Mercy and Making Peace" at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 1, in the Goodwin Hall Auditorium at Benedictine University, 5700 College Road, Lisle. Admission is free.

Bishop is the author of "Change of Heart: Justice, Mercy and Making Peace," which chronicles her life as a criminal defense attorney and her spiritual journey to move beyond forgiveness to confront and reconcile with a murderer. It also examines the larger issues of restorative justice, life sentences and incarceration within the criminal justice system.

Bishop once supported the sentence her sister's killer received and resigned to never speak his name or engage with him. Then she read a passage in a book that enlightened her to the responsibilities of Christians to reconcile with those who have wronged them.

Today, Bishop is an adjunct professor in the Trial Advocacy Program at Northwestern University, and a graduate of Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism and School of Law. She is a recipient of the School of Law's Public Service Award and the Brigid Award from Concern Worldwide U.S., an international humanitarian organization that works to transform the lives of the world's poorest people.

For information, contact Carmen Martinez at (630) 829-6230 or cmartinez@ben.edu.