The Roundhouse was filled with shouts of "Governor! Governor!" as an exuberant crowd cheered Gov. Bill Richardson's support of their cause.
About 150 people gathered on Monday to convince New Mexico legislators to repeal the death penalty in New Mexico.
The New Mexico Coalition to Repeal the Death Penalty hosted the rally in Santa Fe on Monday.
"I am preaching to the choir, but there is a man I know who has discernment on this issue: (the) governor," said Allen Sanchez of the New Mexico Catholic Bishops.
House Bill 285, introduced by Representative Gail Chasey, proposes abolishing the death penalty and replacing it with the sentence of life imprisonment without possibility of release or parole. The bill will be voted on during this legislative session.
Death row exonerees and family members of murder victims also spoke at the rally.
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Juan Melendez, a native New Mexican, said he spent nearly 20 years on death row and wants to ensure that no one else has to go through that torment.
"I spent 17 years, eight months and one day on death row for a crime I didn't commit, and it was terrible for me," he said.
Melendez was released from death row in 2002, becoming the 99th death row prisoner to be exonerated in the United States since 1973.
Ray Krone, who was the 100th exoneree, said it's important to overcome legal mistakes that can lead to wrongful imprisonment on death row.
"There are reasons these things happen: discrimination, faulty investigation, poor representation," he said. "You can never release an innocent man from the grave."
Michelle Ginger, a member of Murder Victims' Families for Reconciliation, said her father was shot in Santa Rosa but that she does not want revenge, though most people expect her to.
"It seems like a no-brainer that you don't teach people that killing is the wrong thing to do by killing someone," she said. "If you've ever lived through this, why would you ever want to do that to someone else?"
Ginger said she wouldn't want someone to be put to death for murder on her account, because killing someone will not bring back her loved one.
The New Mexico State Public Defender Department estimated the state would save between $1 million and $2.5 million per year on public defender costs alone if the death penalty were to be replaced with an alternative sentence.
"New Mexico does not need a law that costs so much," Melendez said.
He argued that the money now used for the death penalty could be used for other things such as law enforcement, public safety and resources to help the families of murder victims.
Melendez said anyone interested in getting involved in this piece of legislation can call the coalition and volunteer or call legislators and encourage them to support this bill.
Ginger said she is confident that New Mexico has the strength to get the bill passed and outlaw the death penalty.
"The death penalty is dead," she said. "It is only a matter of time until it is abolished completely."
