Heaven’s Rain: A Story of Murder and Forgiveness

“Nothing could have prepared 16-year-old Brooks Douglass for the future that lay before him. Brooks grew up in a loving family in a rural home near Oklahoma City. His father, Richard Douglass, was pastor of Putnam City Baptist Church, which housed over 3,000 members in its congregation. Brooks’ mother, Marilyn, devoted her time to her children, which in addition to Brooks included 12-year-old Leslie. Tragically, both of their parents were murdered, and Brooks and Leslie were left to pick up the pieces.”

This quote is the opening to chapter seven in Closure: The Rush to End Grief and What It Costs Us. I had an opportunity to talk with Brooks about this tragedy and how his life unfolded after it. In Closure, I share Brooks’s story and explore what survivors of homicide face in trying to heal. The chapter also covers how difficult the trials and appeals process can be in cases that involve the death penalty, and how the concept of closure gets used in political debates about capital punishment.

Brooks’s story is fascinating. His life journey following that tragic night was full of misery, struggles, and hope. Along the way, he became the youngest state senator in Oklahoma at the age of 27. He helped pass several legislative acts beneficial to crime victims. He also had the interesting experiences of both witnessing an execution of one of the offenders and having a face-to-face meeting with the other offender. Brooks describes meeting the offender who killed his parents as one of the most important events in his life. He went into the meeting looking for a way to end the killer’s life, but ended up forgiving him.

Brooks has recently written and produced a film about his family’s story called Heaven’s Rain. He even plays the role of his father, including reenacting the night of the murder. He says that filming the murder scene was one of the most difficult things he has had to do.  Brooks says the film is a story about family, love, and forgiveness. It is available now on DVD. Information on the film and related news reports can be found on the film’s website.

When we talked, Brooks said that after he made the film people kept asking if he found closure. He replies that he is not sure about finding closure but that his faith has helped him find peace: “I don’t know if you ever get over something like this. I doubt there’s a day that goes by that I don’t think about it, but I also think I’ve tried to deal with it in a way that my faith has taught me, in a way that my parents taught me. Ultimately, we have to move on—not forgetting our loved ones or forgetting what happened—and live our lives to the fullest. This is what I had to do.”

Healing after a loved one has been murdered is a long, difficult, complicated journey. Brooks Douglass does a beautiful job sharing his pain and struggles, but also shows the hope and resilience that survives.