lmetz@observer-reporter.com

Tausha Lanham weighed just 11.77 pounds when she died April 18, 1998.

Had she lived, the Burgettstown girl now would be 17. But Lanham never was given the chance to grow up because of the actions of her mother, Michelle Tharp.

In 2000, Tharp was convicted and sentenced to die for the starvation death of her daughter, whose emaciated body she dumped in an isolated area of West Virginia.

For nearly eight years, Tharp has been housed on death row at the state Correctional Institution at Muncy.

Over the years, she has made friends, both inside and outside prison. And thanks to these friends, Tharp, 39, is being featured on a Web site with two other Pennsylvania death row inmates, Carolyn King and Shonda Walter.

Known as "muncys3amigos," the women give a one-sided account of their lives in prison. They tell of their likes and dislikes on a variety of topics, including music, television, food and men. They can openly make claims of mistreatment and unfair conditions in the prison.

For example, Tharp lets site visitors know that her favorite colors are turquoise and purple; her astrological sign is Capricorn, and her favorites movies are "Pretty Woman," "Big Momma's House" and "Texas Chainsaw Massacre."

She describes herself as being open, honest, very caring and supporting. She says she's brave but not athletic or shy.

Tharp even expresses interest in friendship or companionship with someone who is "nonjudgmental, accepting, trustworthy, open, honest."

And Tharp says she prefers men with brown or blue eyes; brown or blond short hair; over 5 feet tall, and with piercings or tattoos, or both.

Through the Web site, the women have gained an international following. They receive mail and letters of support from thousands of people worldwide who oppose capital punishment.

Other people, however, find the site sickening. They are quick to question the government's role and the inmates' rights in light of their criminal convictions.

Troy Edwards, spokesman for the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections, assures people that their tax dollars are not used for the Web site. In fact, he pointed out that the trio, who are among six women on death row in Pennsylvania, do not have access to the Internet, so they neither read nor directly contribute to the Web site.

Instead, Edwards explained that the site had to be based outside the country, and information is communicated through letters or phone calls or word of mouth from visitors. He said such sites are not permitted within the United States.

"There's an outpouring of mail for Michelle and Carol," he said. "They get letters from around the world. Germany is probably the biggest."

Muncys3amigos.com originates in London, England. The webmaster is 33-year-old Joanne Rayston, who heads an organization called "Friends for Muncy Death Row."

Rayston, a children's charity administrator, said the Web site debuted eight months ago. She said she came up with the idea after writing to King.

"The whole purpose is to come up with support and give them the opportunity to communicate with the outside," said Rayston. "Something to give them a voice."

According to Rayston, she doesn't really look into why the women are on death row. Instead, she said, "I look at them as people, not inmates."

She added, "I want to discuss the positive things in their lives, not the negative."

There is no capital punishment in the United Kingdom. With this in mind, Rayston said she turned her attention to the United States.

"The main reason I'm against it is because of the unfairness of the system," she said.

Rayston said her interest in fighting capital punishment was sparked after watching a documentary on a female death-row inmate years ago. Then, she found these women.

"We communicate through the mail," Rayston said. "I update the site every few weeks when they send me things."

In addition to the normal poems and profiles, the site is currently featuring the women's tale of mistreatment at Muncy. And supporters are being asked to sign a petition, call the prison or mail letters asking for condition changes for the women.

According to Edwards, the women had been moved to a new area of the prison. The women claim that their new lodging is loud, unsanitary and simply miserable.

"I don't mean to sound callous, but what did they expect?" said Edwards. "They have all the amenities of home: three meals a day, climate-controlled housing, full access to TV, and they can receive visitors."

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