Senate Bill 20, also known as Destiny’s Law, would require mandatory sentences of five to 10 years in prison if a person is convicted or pleaded guilty to a felony offense of violence. Also, more time could be added to the sentence if the victim becomes disabled, according to Republican Sen. Bob Hackett, who represents Springfield.
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The bill is named after Destiny Shepherd. In 2006, mother Randi Shepherd went to the store to buy milk and frozen pizza for dinner. She said she left the baby in the care of her then-boyfriend Terrance King III.
Emergency vehicles were everywhere when she returned home, she said, and Destiny was in an ambulance.
King claimed the girl stopped breathing, according to Randi Shepherd.
Destiny was rushed to the hospital; it was determined she had shaken baby syndrome, shaken baby impact, skull fractures and was in a coma.
King later admitted to shaking the baby after she woke up from a nap and threw her against a wall, the Springfield News-Sun has previously reported.
He was later tried and convicted of felonious assault. He spent one year in jail and seven years in prison.
Today, after several attempts, Destiny’s Law has gained ground in the legislature.
READ MORE: Springfield lawmakers push for passage of Destiny’s Law
“We feel really good. We’ve modified the bill. All parties are happy now, I feel really good about it,” Hackett said.
The bill was first introduced by a former lawmaker a few years after the assault but it was seen as too strict, Hackett said.
“(It called for) a mandatory 10 years if a child 5 and under was permanently disabled from any type of violent activity,” he said.
The bill was held for one term and was brought out again but the prison system had concerns, according to the senator.
The state was going through a tough economic period, he said, and the tougher sentencing bill could cost the state’s prison system about $10 million.
After the latest attempt, the bill now includes felony child endangering for children and individuals with developmental disabilities up to age 21.
Destiny’s mother she’s happy about the latest development. She’s been waiting for the bill to become law for close to 10 years.
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“It’s the most devastating news any parent, anyone can ever receive,” Randi Shepherd said of learning of her daughter’s injuries. “The pain is still heart-wrenching until this day.”
Destiny will celebrate her 12th birthday on Saturday, April 22. Her mother said Destiny talks, walks and functions.
“She still faces challenges, she can’t feed herself,” Randi Shepherd said. “She’s still in diapers, has no concept of danger.”
She is also considered legally blind.
“She is 90 percent brain-damaged … but most of her brain damage is in the back of her brain, which is the optical part,” the mother said.
If the bill is approved by the Ohio House, it heads to Gov. John Kasich to sign and become law.
“Is not fair the victims have to live a life sentence and the abusers get off for pretty much no time,” Shepherd said.
Staying with the story
The Springfield News-Sun has followed Randi Shepherd’s efforts to pass a bill named for her injured daughter for several years.
BY THE NUMBERS
15 months: Destiny’s age when she was assaulted
30: Senators voted in favor of Destiny’s Law
3: Senators opposed Destiny’s Law
5 to 10: Years proposed mandatory sentence for violent offenders under Destiny’s Law
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