Frederick Anthony Romano vividly recalls the night his sister, Dawn Garvin, was brutally murdered in 1987. Fifteen years later, the memory remains as sharp as if it were yesterday. Dawn’s husband, Keith Garvin, a Navy petty officer, discovered her body after returning to his base. The crime left Dawn beaten, tortured, and mutilated.
For Fred Romano and his family, the pain is unending. The emotional toll has been immense, requiring medication to cope. They find the idea of Steven Howard Oken, Dawn’s murderer, being incarcerated at taxpayer expense, a painful injustice. They believe Oken should face the death penalty, as was ordered by a Baltimore County judge.
Romano dismisses the notion of ‘closure,’ stating that Dawn will never return. His push for the death penalty is not about revenge, but about justice. His wife, Vicki, echoed this sentiment, clarifying that revenge would involve harming the murderer’s family, whereas the death penalty is simply the law being applied.
Romano strongly criticizes Maryland Attorney General J. Joseph Curran’s call to abolish the death penalty. He fears that a life sentence without parole is not secure enough, and future legislators might grant parole, releasing dangerous murderers back into society. He established the Maryland Coalition for State Executions to advocate for justice for victims like his sister.