NATCHEZ &045; A small but peaceful protest at the gazebo on the bluffs Wednesday night called attention not only to death row inmate Ronald Chris Foster but also to other inmates awaiting capital punishment.

Mary Jane Gaudet, who organized the impromptu even t just before Foster was granted a temporary reprieve this week, was expecting few people to attend.

Instead, nearly 20 Natchez area residents came with candles and prayers.

&uot;The law of God says ‘thou shalt not kill’ &045; period,&uot; said Pat Margolin of Natchez. &uot;It doesn’t say the state should kill.&uot;

Margolin, like a few others who attended, has had experience with the criminal justice system: She worked as a parole officer in Texas.

Gaudet said she does believe that Foster, who was convicted of a murder that happened during a convenience store

robbery when he was 17, should be punished for his actions but not killed.

&uot;When I hear people say they have to have (an execution) for closure Š I don’t think that when you’ve lost a child this brings you closure,&uot; she said.

Foster’s case has drawn attention because he was a juvenile when the crime was killed but also because of conflicting examinations as to his mental capacity. A state exam shows his IQ is just above mental retardation, while a defense-sponsored test shows he is retarded.

Last summer, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that it is illegal to execute anyone who is mentally retarded.

Gov. Ronnie Musgrove granted a temporary reprieve to Foster this week because of questions raised by his age. The Supreme Court is expected to rule soon on another case involving an inmate who was a juvenile when his crime was committed.