Issue Position: Justice for Rachael Act

Issue Position

Rachael Wierzbicki was 22 years old when she was murdered in South Buffalo, New York on November 27th, 2018. Her then boyfriend was charged and indicted for her murder. He was remanded to jail without bail at his arraignment. At a later hearing, a State Supreme Court Justice set bail at $175,000 cash or bond. He posted bail later that afternoon and was released from jail.

The pain of a family losing a child is immeasurable, and in cases like this it is compounded by the fact that the victim's accused murderer is walking free. The legislation I introduced will ensure that when tragedies like this occur, families and communities can take comfort in the fact that prosecutors will be able to request a dangerousness hearing to determine whether or not defendants should be released pretrial, and that one's ability to afford bail is not a consideration.

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