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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2019 - 2020
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | December 17, 2018 01:36 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Karen Boback |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Jessica's Law |
| In the near future, I plan to re-introduce legislation (formerly HB 565) that would create “Jessica’s Law”, legislation amending the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes to include the desecration or mutilation of a corpse as an aggravating circumstance that may qualify a defendant for the death penalty in Pennsylvania. In 2014, Jessica Padgett was brutally shot in the back of her head by her step-father, Gregory Graf. He then sexually abused her corpse while two video cameras were recording his actions. Please read about this terrible crime at: http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/northampton-county/index.ssf/2015/11/draft_stepdaughter_killer_conv.html It only took six minutes for the jury to convict Graf of murder. The judge immediately sentenced him to the maximum punishment according to Pennsylvania law - life in prison without the possibility of parole. To our shock, even as horrific as his actions were, the act of mutilating or defiling her corpse was not included as an aggravating factor that may have qualified him for the death penalty. Jessica’s Law would change that by adding the desecration or mutilation of a corpse to the list of aggravating factors that may qualify a defendant for the death penalty in Pennsylvania. I hope you will join me by co-sponsoring “Jessica’s Law”. Previous cosponsors: MAKO, STEPHENS, D. COSTA, GREINER, DRISCOLL, MILLARD, MACKENZIE, KAUFFMAN, MURT, WATSON, A. HARRIS, SAINATO, MOUL, REESE, PEIFER, GILLEN, TALLMAN, HEFFLEY, HAHN, FARRY AND KORTZ |
Introduced as HB484