At least 20 children are among the 51 people killed after a …
Police say an Albuquerque woman who hit and killed a bicyclist …
Advertisement
When you see it happening - Report It!
When you know it's going on, when you see it happening - Report It!
NM mother behind Katie's Law speaks out
Updated: Sunday, 30 Dec 2012, 5:43 PM MST
Published : Sunday, 30 Dec 2012, 5:43 PM MST
ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - All that Jayann Sepich has left of her vibrant daughter Katie are some pictures and memories.
"She just was kind of like the sunshine in every day, and we miss her so much," Sepich said over the phone.
In 2003 Katie was raped and murdered. Her body was set on fire and left in a dump in Las Cruces. Katie was 22-years-old.
Her killer left behind evidence, but more than three years passed between Katie's murder and her killer's arrest.
In that time, Jayann Sepich pushed New Mexico lawmakers to pass Katie's Law . It's a law that made DNA testing of felony arrestees legal, and a law that identified Gabriel Avila as Katie's killer in late 2006.
"The wonderful thing about arrestee DNA is that it solves crimes," Sepich said. "That brings a lot of peace and a lot of healing, and it prevents crimes, which of course means that there are families that never have to go through this."
In the almost decade since Sepich's oldest child was murdered, she's become a tireless advocate for arrestee DNA testing.
"Once we became aware that DNA was not being used just like fingerprints, we couldn't believe it," Sepich said.
For four years now, Sepich has lobbied politicians in Washington, D.C., to pass a national version of Katie's Law. Sepich could hardly believe it when word came down on Friday that Katie's Law had passed both the U.S. House and Senate.
"We are so elated to see this pass," Sepich said. "We believe it's a true miracle to have 100 senators and two-thirds of the House of Representatives say this is what we want to do. We are just so thrilled and happy."
The national version of New Mexico's Katie's Law is waiting on the president's signature. Sepich says it's an amazing way to end the year, and a wonderful birthday gift for Katie, who would have turned 32-years-old the day after Christmas.
Sepich says her work is not over. The federal version of Katie's Law does not require states to implement arrestee DNA testing, but it does provide incentives for states to collect DNA from people arrested or charged with serious crimes.
 | With KRQE.com's commenting system, you don't need to register. You can login with an existing Facebook, Yahoo!, Google, or Twitter account and more. |
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Explore Featured Content »
-
What live streaming of KRQE News 13 on any screen - from your smartphone to your desktop …
-
Watch what's on now - streaming from CBS News on the live feed player.
-
Interact & connect with KRQE News 13 - anchors, weather, reporters and sports.
-
American Craft Beer Week is the perfect time to take your beer drinking to the next …
-
Police say Tyrone Stephens used a vacuum to assault his caregiver Saturday, by striking …
-
An Albuquerque couple who were burglarized last week said they later found some of the …
-
New Mexico and neighboring states updated road conditions.
-
See where the lowest Metro and N.M. gas prices can be found.
-
Current metro and statewide power outage interactive map; see if your area is listed.
-
When the weather is bad, check for your school and community closures from around the …
-
New Mexico and neighboring states updated road conditions.
-
Latest ski conditions, new snow, base depth, lifts and runs open & live ski webcams.
