Who is Matthew Poncelet based on?
He also provided the inspiration for the Sean Penn character, Matthew Poncelet, in the film Dead Man Walking. He was executed in the electric chair for the May 28, 1980 kidnap, rape, and murder of 18 year old Faith Hathaway in Mandeville, Louisiana. Robert Lee Willie was executed on December 28, 1984.
What happened to Vitello in Dead Man Walking?
Although Poncelet was sentenced to death, Carl Vitello, his accomplice, was sentenced to a lesser sentence of life without parole.
Who was the killer in Dead Man Walking?
Matthew Poncelet
In addition to her temporal help, the nun also tries to reach out spiritually and assist as a guide to salvation. Sister Helen Prejean as she visits with the convicted murderer, Matthew Poncelet, during the final week before his state-ordered execution.
What is the story of Dead Man Walking?
As death row inmate Matthew Poncelet (Sean Penn) nears his execution date, he calls upon Sister Helen Prejean (Susan Sarandon) to help him with one last appeal, maintaining that he is innocent of the murders of a young couple. Poncelet begins to form a bond with Prejean, and she visits both his family and the relatives of the victims, hoping to learn more about the case. As things begin to look bleak for Poncelet, Prejean does all that she can to comfort and console the hardened convict.Dead Man Walking / Film synopsis
Who was Thelma Bledsoe?
A. Thelma Bledsoe is director Tim Robbins’ maternal grandmother, and Lee Robbins is his paternal grandfather, who died during the filming of “The Shawshank Redemption.” One of the reasons Robbins dedicated the film to them is that they helped put him through college. Q.
What was the evil act committed by Matthew Poncelet?
Poncelet is a death row inmate held in the Louisiana State Penitentiary awaiting execution for the murders of a teenage couple six years prior, committed alongside his accomplice Carl Vitello, who was sentenced to life without parole whilst Poncelet received the death penalty.
Who is Thelma Bledsoe?
Was the movie Dead Man Walking based on a true story?
Dead Man Walking is loosely based on a couple of true stories involving Sister Helen Prejean and is adapted from her memoirs, although Penn’s character is a composite based on multiple convicted murderers helped by the sister.
Is the movie Dead Man Walking based on a true story?
Who were Lee Robbins and Thelma Bledsoe?
A. Thelma Bledsoe is director Tim Robbins’ maternal grandmother, and Lee Robbins is his paternal grandfather, who died during the filming of “The Shawshank Redemption.” One of the reasons Robbins dedicated the film to them is that they helped put him through college.