Monday marked 10 years since my GG’s murder. I’m speaking out against a new law making life harder for innocent families.

When I was nine, my great-grandmother, or GG as we called her, passed away. Like any child facing the loss of a loved one, I struggled to process the grief. At the time, my parents did their best to shield my siblings and me from the details of her murder, as well as news from the years of court hearings that followed.

Fifteen-year-old Jacob Larosa broke in to my GG’s house, robbed her, tried to rape her, and beat her to death with a MAG flashlight. Thankfully he was caught later that night by the skillful and heroic Niles Police Department.

Since his capture, our family has prayed for Jacob and his family. It’s what GG would have done. Our hearts still break for his family. We know that forgiveness is a powerful gift from God, though there are still legal consequences for murder on this side of eternity.

Larosa pleaded no contest in 2018, sparing our family the ordeal of a lengthy trial. He was sentenced to life without parole (plus 30 years) for burglary, robbery, attempted rape, and murder. The sentence was a huge relief and put us on the road to closure.

However, in April 2021, Ohio’s Senate Bill 256 became law, retroactively ending life without parole sentences for violent juvenile offenders (with exceptions for terrorism and the murder of three or more people). This new law gives hundreds of the most violent criminals, including Larosa, new and repeated chances for release.

Judge W. Wyatt McKay, who sentenced Larosa and presided over the case in Trumbull County, was an elected Democrat. County Prosecutor Dennis Watkins is also a Democrat. The stereotype that Democrats are “soft on crime” and Republicans are the party of “law & order” was turned upside down with SB 256. Republicans generally favor local control. So who better than a county judge, who sat through years of testimony, and weighed every detail, to determine a fair sentence for a local criminal?

The Republican-controlled legislature and Republican Gov. Mike DeWine decided they knew better than local judges. During floor debate, then-State Senator John Eklund (R-Munson Township) even referred to my great-grandmother’s murderer as one of “the most potential-laden human beings we have in our state” (Ohio Channel, 9-23-20). What about my potential? What about the futures stolen from every victim and their loved ones?

SB 256 reopened old wounds that were just starting to heal for hundreds of Ohio families. Varying degrees of anxiety, depression, graphic nightmares, and severe insomnia are all too common. My trust in people, in the government and in “the system” is broken.

Because of SB 256, even a “victory” at a parole hearing just means a new torturous countdown until the next one begins. My little brother will be just 28 years old at Larosa’s first parole hearing in 2040. If Larosa is never released, my brother could potentially be attending hearings past the year 2100. We have a life sentence now.

SB 256 is pro-criminal and anti-victim, as it forces us to defend our safety and relive our trauma at parole hearings for the rest of our lives. This is ironic, considering Ohioans overwhelmingly voted to enshrine Marsy’s Law into the state constitution in 2017, giving victims a stronger voice in the justice system.

Yet families like ours were not given notice about committee hearings for SB 256. That’s a direct violation of a Marsy’s Law provision, which guarantees victims the right to be notified and involved in any parole-related hearings. Had we been given proper notice, we could have organized. We would have fought back. Hundreds of common-sense Ohioans would have shown up to stop this disaster.

Supporters still claim the bill was required to comply with the U.S. Supreme Court. That is a flat-out lie. Just 10 days after SB 256 went into effect, the Supreme Court reaffirmed in Jones v. Mississippi that life without parole for juveniles is constitutional, so long as the sentence is at the discretion of the judge, and not mandated by the state.

Lawmakers were urged to wait for the Jones decision. Instead, they rushed the bill through during a lame-duck session during the COVID-19 pandemic. As the Ohio Coalition for Safety and Fairness put it, SB 256 is “the cruelest and most foolish pro-criminal, anti-victim legislation in Ohio history.”

SB 256 is a slap in the face to every victim who was promised justice in the courts. It must be repealed. This is only possible if people like you join me in this fight. I urge you to call, write, or email your state representative, state senator, and Governor DeWine.

Demand that Ohio lawmakers fix this mess. It could be that your voice is the one that sparks real change. Please do it for my family and the thousands of other grieving families affected by SB 256. Do it because no one deserves to live in a cycle of trauma, re-victimization, and fear for the rest of their lives.

After all, we are the “potential-laden” ones, and we will not give up this fight.

Angelina Kirk is the great-granddaughter of Niles murder victim Marie Belcastro. She is a founding member of the Ohio Coalition for Safety and Fairness (Website: www.OhioCSF.com). She can be reached at Angelinak2006148@gmail.com.