Robert Lee Willie

Robert Lee Willie (January 2, 1958 – December 28, 1984) was an American serial killer and Aryan Brotherhood member who confessed to six murders committed in Louisiana from 1978 to 1980. He was sentenced to death for the rape and murder of 18-year-old Faith Hathaway and was executed in 1984. Sister Helen Prejean, a teacher and one of the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Medaille from New Orleans, began to write to him and later served as his spiritual adviser. In her book Dead Man Walking (1993), she explored her experiences with men on death row and the basis for her growing opposition to the death penalty. The book was adapted as a 1995 film of the same name, starring Susan Sarandon and Sean Penn. The book was also adapted as an opera, first produced by the San Francisco Opera in 2000.