ABSTRACT
Chapter six, “Harmony,” concerns the capture, retrial, pardon, and reintegration of Moricette Nayl. Upon her capture, there was a new interrogation and trial at Lanvollon, testing her conviction for homicide. The conclusion of that process was a renewed conviction and death sentence. Moricette, with the help of family and community members, took the case to a higher court to appeal the death sentence and request letters of pardon. This involved a second interrogation, in which she accepted that she had killed Marie Dufrost but asked for mercy and offered to make amends. She received her pardon letter. In consideration of how she gained that mercy and was able to come home, the chapter includes a gender analysis of crime and criminal justice systems. This discussion involves a number of examples in which women are found guilty of violence but spared execution. Discussion then returns to the process as it played out in this case—some people drove the conviction forward, others resisted, and still others refused to participate. Finally, the chapter offers a few explanations for what may have led to the restoration of harmony and calls on the conflict resolution literature.
