OK Senator says “Lauria and Ashley Law” would take the state backward in criminal justice reform
OKLAHOMA CITY – Senate Majority Floor Leader Greg McCortney released a statement on Thursday addressing why the Senate would not hear the “Lauria and Ashley Law.”
At the heart of House Bill 2946 or “Lauria and Ashley’s Law,” are two missing 16-year-old girls who were tortured, drugged, raped, and are presumed dead. Ronnie Busick, the only known living suspect in the heinous crime was released in May 2023 from prison after pleading guilty in 2020 to a reduced charge of accessory to felony murder.
Lauria and Ashley’s law stalls; Bible family outraged
The proposed bill was scheduled to be heard today (4/25) on the Senate Floor. At the last minute, Lauria Bible’s family was notified it would not be heard and were told the reason was “there wasn’t enough time.”
“The Senate not hearing this bill is a policy decision and based on not going backward on criminal justice reform.,”
Senate Majority Floor Leader Greg McCortney, R-Ada
House Bill 2946 or “Lauria and Ashley’s Law,” adds accessory to murder in the first or second degree to the list of crimes that would require an offender to serve 85% of their prison sentence before being eligible to request parole. Felons would not be eligible to earn any credit that would reduce their sentence below 85% of what was imposed, according to the Bill.
Busick’s sentence was reduced after he earned good behavior credits allowing him to be released in May 2023. As part of his plea agreement, Busick would have served even less time if he had led authorities to the location of the girls’ bodies. Due to current guidelines for the Oklahoma Department of Corrections, he received 60 days of credit for every month in prison.
According to a fiscal impact report prepared by the Department of Corrections and Senate Fiscal Staff, there were seven inmates convicted of accessory to murder from 2013 to 2022.
“Statistics have made it clear that Oklahoma previously led the nation and parts of the world in over-incarceration,” McCortney said in a prepared statement. “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.”
A fiscal impact report of the bill showed felons convicted of accessory to murder are serving an average of 1,110 days or just shy of three-and-a-half years out of an average nine-year sentence.
Click here to read the financial impact of Lauria and Ashley’s Law.
Based on the current average sentence length, if these sentences were to be converted to 85% a convicted felon would serve almost an additional five years.
Lauria and Ashley’s Law would have added $33,105.56 of total costs per inmate for the extra time served.
“This measure would run counter to that collective goal,” McCortney said.
The mission of the Department of Corrections in part is to rehabilitate and prepare individuals convicted of crimes to reenter society, he said.
Busick, who is at the center of the proposed law, was released based on earned credits from policy decisions at the Department of Corrections, not the Senate, he said.
“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,” McCortney said.
“I believe the will of Oklahomans is justice for Lauria and Ashley – and this certainly is not justice,” said Lisa Brodrick, Lauria’s cousin.
Lauria and Ashley’s lives were worth more than $34.000, she said.
“Any parent or family that went through the pain our family has endured for almost 25 years would gladly see the additional costs as justice,” Brodrick said.
“When you compare an extra five years of prison to our family never seeing Lauria again – there is no comparison – and there is no justice,” Brodrick said.
Brodrick posted on the family’s “Find Lauria Bible – BBI” Facebook page the following post.
“Today we came to be heard and though it isn’t the answer we hoped for or agree with, this is how the cards fall.
So, we will go back to the drawing board. We will entrust Representative Steve Bashore to guide us again next year with a better understanding of what we need to do differently.
We are fighters if nothing else. And so, we will continue to push forward to get the bill passed. We will continue to push forward to try to recover Lauria and Ashley’s remains. We will continue to do whatever it takes so that another family doesn’t have to suffer like we have for 24 years, 3 months, and 26 days.
Lauria Bible and Ashley Freeman disappeared on Dec. 29, 1999, from Freeman’s rural Welch home, which had been set on fire. Danny and Kathy Freeman were fatally shot and the girls were kidnapped.
Authorities believe the girls were held in a Picher mobile home belonging to Phil Welch, Jr. for around two weeks where they were drugged, tortured, raped, and beaten and ultimately killed.
Authorities continue to look for their bodies.
