More teens would be tried as adults under proposal
State lawmakers are taking a look at legislation aimed at prosecuting younger teenagers as adults when they commit violent crimes.
Supporters of the proposal, known as Emily's Law, are back at the Capitol this session, trying for the fifth time to lower the age for adult certification.
The bill is named for two-year-old Emily Johnson, who was sexually assaulted and killed in 2006 by a 13-year-old Fergus Falls boy. The case was handled in juvenile court.
But Emily Johnson's mother, Lynn Johnson told members of the House Public Safety Committee Thursday that the boy was just 19 days from his 14th birthday, and a possible adult prosecution.
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"Why is our daughter lying in the ground while her killer is allowed to continue his life with minimal interruption?" Lynn Johnson said. "Something must change so that no other family has to feel the injustice we have felt from our justice system."
Representatives from the ACLU and NAACP testified against the bill. Joel Franklin, a lawyer for the St. Paul NAACP, said the age change would only add to a racial disparity crisis in the criminal justice system.
"What happened to the Johnson family was a tremendous tragedy," Franklin said. "However, changing this law is not going to stop this type of crime from occurring in the future."
The House panel delayed a vote for a later date.