Mother Does the Impossible: Forgives Drunk Driver Who Killed Her Daughter, Gets Him Out of Prison Early (VIDEO)
Renee Napier had good reason to hate Eric Smallridge forever, and no one would blame her. It was the Tallahassee, Fla. man who in 2003 chose to drive drunk, at twice the legal limit for alcohol, and killed Napier's daughter Meagan and her friend Lisa Dickson in a horrific car crash. After Smallridge was sentenced to 22 years for DUI manslaughter, the mother felt justice had been done and devoted her life to speaking at schools and churches about the dangers of drunk driving.
However, God wanted Napier to go further in her mission, asking for what seems impossible to man. He wanted her to forgive Eric for killing his daughter. She followed, contacting Smallridge in prison to tell him she forgave him.
This stunning act led Smallridge to choose to follow Jesus as Lord. Members of the Napier family did as well.
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On top of this, she went to the courts and asked to have Smallridge's sentence cut in half, and the judge obliged. The former convict, released in November 2012, now speaks at her presentations, an example that forgiveness is so integral to healing.
Napier contacted Christian singer/songwriter Matthew West with her story, and he in turn wrote a song, aptly named "Forgiveness," based on it. In this video, Napier is surprised with the song and an unexpected visit with the artist. Below is a CBS News story where Smallridge and Napier tell their story.
