Bill Would Require Murder Registry In Illinois
CHICAGO (WBBM) -- In reaction to the recent parole of a man convicted of killing his ex-girlfriend at Eastern Illinois University in 1998, a state lawmaker wants to create a registry specifically for those convicted of first degree murder before so-called "truth in sentencing" laws took effect.
Parolees on murder convictions who move to Illinois from other states also would be required to register under the bill, introduced by State Rep. Dennis Reboletti (R-Elmhurst).
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The measure was prompted by the release Nov. 16 of 32-year-old Justin Boulay, after serving half of a 24-year sentence for the February 1998 murder of his ex-girlfriend, 18-year-old Andrea Will.
Boulay and Will were students at Eastern Illinois University. Boulay lured Will to his apartment on the pretext of giving her an early birthday gift and then strangled her with a telephone cord.
Will had ended the abusive relationship three months earlier.
"My life changed forever," said Will's mother, Patricia Rosenberg, of Batavia, who appeared with Will's former roommate, Michelle Felde, of Arlington Heights. They stood by Reboletti's side as he announced the filing of the bill.
Rosenberg said she was angry when denied a chance to read a victim impact statement at sentencing in 1999, and outraged when told by state officials that there was nothing she could do to prevent the parole of Boulay.
The bill would require those who killed in Illinois before June 1998, and convicted murderers who move to Illinois after leaving prison, to report their whereabouts to state officials for 10 years after release.
"I was not able to protect my child from what happened to her, but this bill may help to protect someone else," Rosenberg said.
The bill provides for an additional prison sentence of one to six years for those who fail to register.
The bill is HB263.
