OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma Senate will not hear a bill named after two murdered teens in Welch in 1999– despite a mother‘s best efforts at the state capitol today.
“Lauria and Ashley‘s Law” would require anyone convicted of accessory to murder to serve 85% of their sentence.
The only suspect convicted in Lauria Bible and Ashley Freeman‘s murder, Ronnie Busick, was sentenced to accessory and got out early for good behavior.
2 News spoke with Bible's mother after his release:
“This is a guy that stood there and allowed this to happen and did nothing,” said Lauria’s mother, Lorene.
Lorene found out on April 24 that the Senate wouldn’t hear the bill, so she went to talk to Senate Majority Leader Greg McCortney the next morning.
He is the man behind the decision not to hear the bill on the Senate floor, and she wanted to try to change his mind on the last possible day.
Lorene spent the morning passing out flyers and trying to talk with legislators. 2 News followed as she introduced herself to Senator Shane Jett.
- Previous coverage >>> New bills filed after man convicted in Welch girl’s case released early
She spoke with Senator Micheal Bergstrom as well. She never got to meet with Senator McCortney, but she did meet with the co-author of the bill, Senator Paul Rossino.
Ultimately, he advised against pressuring lawmakers with little notice for change and told her to regroup for the next session.
“It is what it is,” she said. “We won’t stop fighting, and we will come back in the fall.”
Lauria and Ashley’s bodies have never been found. Busick got a 10-year sentence and only served two years and four months. He now lives near Lorene.
While Lorene was meeting with lawmakers, Senator McCortney released this statement:
“The Senate not hearing this bill is a policy decision and based on not going backward on criminal justice reform. Statistics have made it clear that Oklahoma previously led the nation and parts of the world in over-incarceration. The demands for reform reached a fever pitch and the state legislature, our current governor, as well as voters, acted to make the conscious decision that we needed criminal justice reform, and we acted accordingly. This measure would run counter to that collective goal. The mission of the Department of Corrections in part is to rehabilitate and prepare individuals convicted of crimes to reenter society. The individual who pled guilty in this case was released based on earned credits from policy decisions at the Department of Corrections, not the Senate.”
“While I wholeheartedly agree that the facts and circumstances surrounding the case in question are horrific and my heart goes out to the families involved, it is the job of the Senate to craft and pass sound public policy, while not undermining the will of Oklahomans.
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