Local Families of Domestic Violence Victims Call on Assembly to Act on “Domestic Violence Protection Act - Brittany’s Law”

 
The family members of two domestic violence victims will be heading to the State Capital on Monday to call on the New York State Assembly to act on the “Domestic Violence Protection Act – Brittany’s Law”  

Dale Driscoll is the grandmother Brittany Passalacqua.  The 12-year-old and her mother were brutally murdered in 2009 by a convicted violent felon.  Linda Randolph is the mother of  Shannon Pepper, who was viciously attacked by a man with a prior violent domestic abuse conviction.  Both will be attending Senator Mike Nozzolio’s news conference at 1:00pm Monday, May 18.

The Domestic Violence Protection Act – Brittany’s Law (S.513), sponsored by Senator Nozzolio, would create a publicly accessible registry of convicted violent felons, similar to the New York State Sex Offender Registry.  This measure is expected to be voted upon by the New York State Senate on Monday.  

In November of 2009, 12-year-old Brittany Passalacqua was brutally murdered along with her mother, Helen Buchel, at their home in Geneva. Brittany's law is named to honor their memories.  The perpetrator was John Edward Brown, a violent convicted felon who had been released early from prison after serving only 2 ½ years of his sentence for assaulting his infant daughter in 2003. Brown had only been on parole for a few months before committing the murders.  

Since these tragic murders occurred, Senator Nozzolio has worked closely with Brittany's grandmother, Dale Driscoll, to develop legislation to allow the public to have greater access to information about violent offenders and the crimes they have committed.  Senator Nozzolio has also worked to establish tougher penalties for violent offenders so they can no longer threaten the lives and safety of innocent people in our communities.

In 2013, 37-year-old Shannon Pepper of Cuba, NY was the victim of a brutal assault at the hands of her ex-boyfriend, Anthony Nevone.   Shannon nearly died in the vicious attack and was left comatose for several months.  Nevone was a repeat offender who previously served prison time for another domestic abuse case.

 
Shannon eventually recovered from her horrific injuries and worked with the District Attorney’s office to build a case against her attacker who was sentenced to two decades in prison and five years of post-release supervision.  Shannon then became an outspoken advocate for domestic violence victims and used her personal tragedy to fight for the protection of others.  Sadly, Shannon passed away in an accidental fire earlier this year.  Her family is honoring her memory by working to pass Brittany’s Law to save other victims.

The Domestic Violence Protection Act - Brittany’s Law would require all individuals convicted of a violent felony to register with the New York State Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) upon their release from prison. The registry would be accessible to the public, similar to the registry of sex offenders that the State currently has in place. The legislation also establishes annual registration requirements for offenders to allow local law enforcement agencies and the State to monitor the whereabouts of these individuals.

The New York State Senate has adopted Brittany’s Law every year since 2011, but the New York City-controlled leadership of the State Assembly has repeatedly refused to bring this important legislation to the floor for a vote. 

The Assembly sponsor of the measure, Aileen Gunther, will be in attendance, as well as Assemblyman Robert Oaks.