State Rep. Michael
O’Brien, D-Warren, center, tells a group of protestors outside the Trumbull
County Courthouse Friday that he was one of two Trumbull County legislators who
voted against Senate Bill 256, which abolishes life without parole sentences
for juvenile criminals, like Jacob LaRosa, who will be first eligible for
supervised release in 2040. LaRosa was convicted of killing Marie Belcastro of
Niles, who was the grandmother of Brian Kirk, right. Staff photo / Guy Vogrin
As we, the
members of Unit 1012: The VFFDP, are anti-crime and pro victims rights activist
ourselves, we will also help fight any attempt to end LWOP for juveniles and
block parole. Please support this group, Ohio Coalition for Safety and Fairness,
and donate some money if you want. Here is the information:
We are the Ohio Coalition for
Safety and Fairness
We are survivors and activists united in
opposition to Senate Bill 256 (more appropriately titled the Teen Killer
Empowerment Act or TKEA) and similar pro-criminal measures. SB 256
mandates parole options for the majority of Ohio’s most dangerous teen killers,
even those whose crimes were so heinous, they were sentenced to LWOP (life
without parole). We believe deeply in the people of Ohio, in the Ohio
Constitution, and the rule of law. We will not stand by as out of touch
legislators hop on board with the latest fad of coddling teen killers, even
hiding behind the US Supreme Court to justify their pro-crime measures.
One Ohio native is touring the state to
fight against a recently passed senate bill involving the courts system, and he
made a stop in Lima on Monday. Brian Kirk's grandmother, Marie Belcastro, was
murdered in 2015 at the age of 94 by then 15-year-old, Jacob LaRosa. LaRosa was
sentenced to life in prison without parole three years later.
In April of this year, Ohio legislators
passed Senate Bill 256 which allows anyone who committed a crime under age 18
to be up for parole, thus abolishing life without parole for juvenile
criminals. Kirk founded the Ohio Coalition for Safety and Fairness to protest
this bill and thinks its passing is an injustice.
"Look, this law might be a good
idea, but they did it retroactively which I don't think is fair at all, because
we had closure, we had moved on, we had started really to heal," Kirk explains. "And
then they passed this law without victim input. Okay, we all agree that kids
deserve a second chance. But you look deeper into a case like this, not to
punish Jacob but to protect us. Not just my family but society from the likes
of Jacob."
Kirk says he plans to file a petition for
injunction against the bill on Friday. For more information on his organization
and Senate Bill 256, visit ohiocsf.com.
Copyright 2021 by Lima Communications
Corporation. All rights reserved.
Brian Kirk's
grandmother, Marie Belcastro, was murdered in 2015 at the age of 94 by then
15-year-old, Jacob LaRosa. LaRosa was sentenced to life in prison without
parole three years later.
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