All of us at Marsy’s Law for Maine wish to express our sincerest condolences to those who lost loved ones in the homicides in Madison earlier in July in what was one of the most devastating and extreme cases of domestic violence we can recall in Maine. Our thoughts are with everyone who was impacted.

While the alleged gunman in the Madison tragedy was killed, and as such there will be no trial, we want to make sure every victim of crime in Maine going forward is assured that they have rights that are equal to the rights of those accused or convicted of the crime against them.

Crime victims deserve the protections and rights afforded by Marsy’s Law for Maine, such as the right to timely notification of any proceeding in their case and the right to timely notification of a change in the offender’s custodial status. Without these strong and enforceable rights in Maine’s Constitution, as is currently the case, many will suffer a sense of re-victimization by not having a voice in their cases. We must make sure that does not happen to any victim of crime in our state.