Warning: This article contains discussion of sexual assault.

The Green Mile, the movie based on the Stephen King novel of the same name, focuses primarily on a cast of death-row inmates, one of which is Eduard Delacroix or “Del,” but why is Del on death row? Throughout the course of the film, the audience learns the intricate and tragic backstories behind many of Cold Mountain Penitentiary’s inmates, all residents of the prison’s death row, or “Green Mile,” the eponymous nickname for the prison’s cellblock. However, Del’s backstory, along with the crimes he committed, is perhaps the most serious.

Throughout the film, Paul Edgecomb (Tom Hanks), one of the prison’s guards, takes an interest in several of the Green Mile’s inmates. This includes Eduard “Del” Delacroix, and the potentially divine John Coffey, another prisoner on the block who seemingly has the ability to heal and perform miracles on afflicted inmates, including on Del’s adopted pet mouse Mr. Jingles. However, while Edgecomb eventually learns that Coffey is innocent of his accused crime, he learns that Del’s crimes reflect a deeply sinister nature.

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Edgecomb learns that Del is on death row after killing multiple people in a fire, a fire that he started to cover up another crime of his. It’s eventually revealed that Del used the fire to attempt to cover up his rape and murder of a young girl. Due to the seriousness of his crime, during his time on death row, Del’s story and his behavior caused several confrontations with a sadistic guard Percy Wetmore, and the combination of these factors eventually led to Del’s brutal execution.

Why was Del on Death Row in The Green Mile

Despite his abhorrent past crimes, Edgecomb (who narrates the story from old age) perceives Del as somewhat helpless — Del speaks limited English, and fears retribution from the cruel Wetmore. At one point in the film, Del even adopts a pet mouse he names Mr. Jingles, who Percy kills after stomping on him. And yet, the crimes Del committed speak for themselves, and within the story of The Green Mile, it’s known that Del’s execution is fast incoming.

Due to the severity of Del’s crimes, and his confrontations with Wetmore, Del’s execution is eventually carried out by Percy himself. Knowing well what Del’s crimes were, and in part due to his own personal hatred of the inmate, Percy dried out the sponge attached to the electric chair used for Del’s execution, assuring that his death would be drawn out and painful. In Wetmore’s mind, the punishment suited Del’s crime, as the fire he started killed 6 people on top of his previous offense.

From The Green Mile’s beginning to its ending, the film explores the cruelty of the American prison system, while also spelling out the egregious crimes the death row inmates have committed. Del is no exception to this trend. With his criminal offenses being among some of The Green Mile’s most serious, his characterization and his relationship with John Coffey and Hank’s Edgecomb are among the film’s most complex.

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