Update from March 12:

Greta Lindecrantz, who has been in jail for nearly two weeks, now plans to take the stand because it might help save the life of defendant Robert Ray, according to the Associated Press.

In a court document filed March 10 on Lindecrantz’s intent to testify, Ray’s lawyers say Lindecrantz’s refusal to testify is hurting his appeal and putting his life at risk, the AP article said.

“Based on this dramatic change in circumstance, she has concluded that her religious principles honoring human life now compel that she must testify,” Lindecrantz’s lawyer, Mari Newman, wrote in the document, the AP article said.

Original article from March 2:

On Sunday, Feb. 25, Greta Lindecrantz, 67, stood up during the sharing time at Beloved Community Mennonite Church in Englewood, Colorado, and talked about a tough decision she was facing.

She had been told she had to testify the next day on behalf of the prosecution in an appeals hearing for Robert Ray, who was sentenced to death in 2009 for ordering the murder of Javad Marshall-Fields and Vivian Wolfe, who were witnesses in another murder case, according to a Feb. 27 article in the Denver Post.

She had met the day before with Vern Rempel, co-pastor at Beloved Community Church, who talked with her and tried to figure out a way Lindecrantz could comply with the courts without betraying her religious conviction.

But standing in that worship setting on Sunday, she said that when she imagined herself testifying, her mind felt cloudy. But when she imagined not testifying, she felt a weight lift from her and peace descend. Later, the congregation gathered around her, laid hands on her and prayed for her, said co-pastor Cole Chandler in a Feb. 28 interview.

According to Chandler, Lindecrantz and Dave Sidwell, her husband, attend First Mennonite Church in Denver as well as Beloved Community, which Rempel helped found two and a half years ago.

The next day, Lindecrantz refused to testify and was sent to jail. On Feb. 27, she was found in contempt of court after she told District Judge Michelle Amico she would not answer questions in the witness stand because of her religious beliefs, said the Post article. She was sent back to jail.

Lindecrantz had worked as an investigator for Ray’s defense team, but those attorneys did not call her as a witness. Her attorney, Mari Newman, said “all her work already is a part of the official court record and there really is no reason for her to take the stand again,” said the Post article.

Meanwhile, her congregation and others have been showing their support. On Feb. 28, about 30 people from three different congregations gathered to sing hymns outside the Arapahoe County Courthouse. “We want to embarrass the system of death with songs of life,” says Rempel.

“The response has been strong,” said Chandler. His congregation has been working with the Interfaith Alliance of Colorado, demonstrating that a broad coalition of people oppose the death penalty, including Sikh and Catholic leaders, he said.

He said he’s been inspired by Lindecrantz, whose faith has been formed over time. She’s been against the death penalty her whole life. “I’m glad to be part of a community that lives out such commitments,” said Chandler.

He also noted that we shouldn’t lose track of Robert Ray’s life. “In standing with Greta we are necessarily choosing to stand with Robert and with all of life,” he said.

Rempel told reporters that Mennonite opposition to the death penalty dates to 1525. “This is not something that is a mood of Greta’s,” he said. “Or a fancy. Or something she’s making up. It has been a lifetime commitment for her.”

Meanwhile, Mari Newman, Lindecrantz’s attorney, said she plans to appeal to a higher court for Lindecrantz’s release, according to the Post. Until then, Lindecrantz remains in jail without bond. She said the court could keep Lindecrantz in jail for up to six months.