Nothing Less Than Life Without Parole For Child Killers

Brooklyn- State Senator Marty Golden (R-C-I, 22nd District), is announcing that he has sponsored legislation introduced today, along with his colleagues Senator Ray Meier (R-C, Western) and Senator Nicholas Spano (R-Westchester), that will mandate a life without parole sentence for a person convicted of murdering a child less than 16 years old.

Current law only mandates a life without parole sentence when a person more than 18 years old kills a child less than 14 in the course of committing rape, criminal sexual acts, aggravated sexual abuse or incest.

Senator Golden stated, "The tragic death of Nixzmary Brown highlights the need to insure that for the animals who commit these most heinous crimes, against our children, face nothing less than life without parole. There is no place in society for individuals who have no value for human life, and so, we must act and make law this legislation that will serve as both a deterrent and as fair punishment."

Golden continued, "The horrifying reality in New York City and New York State is that there are individuals who seek nothing less than to harm our children. Allowing those who prey and murder our children to roam freely among our society jeopardizes all of us. It is frightening to hear these heart wrenching stories where a young life, full of promise, is so brutally taken from us in the blink of an eye. This must end."

Senator Marty Golden voted last week to extend the provisions of Meagan’s Law which was set to expire on January 21st. Failure to extend Meagan’s Law, initially past here in New York State 10 years ago, would have allowed for the drop off of sex offenders from the New York State Registry, totaling more than 3,500 by year’s end.

Under the agreement reached: 1) Level 2 and 3 offenders will be on the registry for life; 2) Level 2 offenders can petition to get off the registry after 30 years; and 3) Level 1 offenders automatically come off the registry after 20 years.

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