Renewed push to pass bill that removes parole to those convicted of sexually assaulting, killing children

It would remove any chance of parole to those convicted of sexually assaulting and murdering children.

News 12 Staff

Apr 19, 2021, 9:43 PM

Updated 1,328 days ago

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There's a renewed push to pass a bill sparked by a Rockland teen's murder 41 years ago.
It would remove any chance of parole to those convicted of sexually assaulting and murdering children.
The bill, called Paula's Law, is named after Paula Bohovesky, a Pearl River teen who was raped and murdered by two men in 1980.
The law would sentence anyone convicted of those crimes against a victim under 18 to life in prison without parole.
If passed, the bill would be an extension of a current law that denies parole for the crimes to victims under the age of 14.
That law is named after Joan D'Allesandro, of New Jersey, a 7-year-old who was sexually assaulted and murdered in 1973.
The bill was first introduced in 2019 but stalled.
Sen. Elijah Reichlin-Melnick and Assemblyman Mike Lawler are hoping to finish what their predecessors started.