Rethinking Capital Punishment
Saturday, October 4, 2025
Rethinking Capital Punishment will explore the impact that the death penalty has had and continues to have on individuals in the United States.
The conference will feature:
- A keynote address from Reverend Billy Neal Moore, who spent 16.5 years on Georgia’s death row
- Panels and presentations on:
- The historical and social context of the death penalty
- What it’s like to be a zealous defense attorney in the different stages of a capital punishment case
- The mental and emotional toll the death penalty has on all parties involved in the process
- What it’s like to witness an execution
- Proposals for reform & future advocacy
The EPIC Conference is free and open to all members of the community. Lunch will be provided, and CLE credits will be available for attorneys. (4.5 Georgia general CLE credits pending approval).
10:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. CHECK-IN (COFFEE PROVIDED)
11:00 a.m. to 11:20 a.m. WELCOME & OVERVIEW
11:20 a.m. to 11:40 a.m. Crash course: Historical and social context of capital punishment in Georgia
This session will trace the roots of the modern death penalty to extrajudicial racial violence and demonstrate how these origins continue to influence legal form and institutional design in the modern age.
Speaker: Terrica Ganzy, Executive Director, Southern Center for Human Rights
11:40 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. Defending Capital Cases
This panel discussion with attorneys who work in different stages of capital defense will explore what it takes to be a zealous advocate for their clients.
Speakers: Patrick Mulvaney, Director of Capital Litigation, Southern Center for Human Rights; Anna Arceneaux, Executive Director, Georgia Resource Center; Jerilyn Bell, formerly with Georgia Capital Defenders Office
Moderator: Victoria Olender Hellstrom 23L, Staff Attorney, Georgia Resource Center
12:45 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. LUNCH BREAK (LUNCH PROVIDED)
1:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Keynote Speaker: Reverend Billy Neal Moore
Reverend Moore was on Death Row for over 17 years. He will speak about his conviction, his time on Death Row, his experience finding religion on Death Row, his relationship with the victim’s family, the legal process throughout, and much more.
Q&A: During the Q&A following Rev. Moore’s remarks, he will be joined by Jimmie Horton, a fellow former Death Row inmate.
3:00 p.m. to 3:45 p.m. Impact and Implications
This session will explore the implications that the death penalty has on the mental health of all people involved in the process, including the convicted individual, victim, victim’s family and friends, and those involved in the execution.
Speakers: Nicole Wiesen & Karlan Holik, Georgians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty
3:45 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Witnessing an Execution & Where Do We Go from Here
This session will include an attorney’s experience and reflections on witnessing executions of his clients, followed by a discussion of how the law can change from a legal standpoint (i.e., the requirement to provide an alternative to the execution form being challenged) and what advocacy against the death penalty looks like today and moving forward.
Speaker: Bo King, Chief, Capital Habeas Unit for the Fourth Circuit
4:30 p.m. to 4:35 p.m. CLOSING REMARKS