April 17, 2008 11:10 pm
—
• Banishment of E. Keller Wilcox
Bravo to the proactive citizens of the 8th district, including Brooks, Lowndes, Cook and Thomas counties for their insistence that a murderer not be allowed to return to their community. As the son of Hellen Griffin Hanks, when I first heard the decision from the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles to banish Wilcox from his home county, I was a little confused and questioned the sincerity of the Board. But now that I’ve had time to think about what it means to be banished from one’s home — their decision begins to make sense.
I remembered from my early education at Morven Elementary School that Georgia, one of the 13 original colonies, practiced banishment as a form of punishment and protection from extreme criminals since its beginning in 1732. Although colonists didn’t have the advantage of a global tracking device attached to the criminal’s ankle, the perpetrator was ostracized by personal recognition and kept away from their communal district in order to protect the victim’s family from repeat crimes or revenge.
His current banishment prevents him from returning to Valdosta to re-establish his home and business, unlike Wilcox’s release in 1985 for roughly 18 months. Wilcox will not be featured on the television news programs, like “60 Minutes” in an endeavor to vindicate his claimed false imprisonment. His conditions of parole disallow him from ever entering the city of Valdosta or Lowndes County. I feel that this is in direct response to the over 1,500 telephone calls, letters and petitions that were sent to the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles, objecting to his release.
Any contact with our family is also prohibited by the Board’s conditions for release; a welcomed decree from the Georgia judicial system that my sisters and I put an immeasurable value upon. We appreciate this aspect of the Board’s decision, hopefully narrowing Wilcox’s ability to harass the Hanks or Griffin family and thereby removing the threat to our children’s safety and well being.
Banishment of E. Keller Wilcox from Lowndes County carries an enormous feeling of gratification from my family and friends and we thank the Board of Pardons and Paroles for this illustration of an attempt to improve our security. Although a decision of refusal to parole this murderer would have satisfied us completely, we trust and support the judicial system of the great state of Georgia.
David H. Hanks
Copyright © 1999-2008 cnhi, inc.