The Karly Rain Wood Act

By U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts
R-Nebraska

In 2022, Karly Rain Wood, a 20-year-old from Omaha, was murdered. She went to a friend’s birthday party and was shot eight times. She was there for only 15 minutes. Five other victims were also shot. Karly Rain’s killer was previously convicted of four different felonies. But he had been released.

In February, Stephanie Minter was fatally stabbed at a bus stop in Fairfax, Virginia. She was a 41-year-old mother.  Her killer illegally lived in the U.S. for over a decade. He had been charged and released over 30 times, including for rape and multiple stabbings. 

Last August, Iryna Zarutska was fatally stabbed on a train in Charlotte, North Carolina. She was a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee. Her killer had been arrested and released 14 times in the last 20 years. These tragic deaths point to a gaping error in our system.

We can do more to stop violent crime. We are letting these repeat violent offenders freely roam our streets. If a repeat violent offender is released into a community, the public deserves to know.  Karly Rain, Stephanie, and Iryna deserved better. That’s why I introduced the Karly Rain Wood Act this week.  This bill targets lawless repeat offenders.

The Bureau of Justice Statistics is responsible for studying criminal behavior. They undertook a landmark study of state crime, looking at outcomes for prisoners released in 2012. Over half of violent offenders released in 2012 were arrested again within three years.  

About two-thirds of released violent offenders were arrested again within five years.  It’s clear that many violent criminals don’t give up crime when they’re released. Despite the results of this study, repeat violent offenders aren’t monitored. They are allowed to go unchecked, looking for the next crime to commit. The Karly Rain Wood Act would alert people to this threat.

This bill would create a national registry for repeat violent offenders. It’s similar to the national sex offender registry. The database would be publicly searchable and provide community notifications. Just like with the sex offender registry, Americans would know who is living in their neighborhood. That way, the public can make safer choices about who they interact with. If a felon is convicted of two or more qualifying offenses, they would be required to register. That includes crimes such as arson, murder, or kidnapping.  

They would provide their name, address, place of business, license plate, and publicly useful information to local authorities. Local law enforcement would be required to provide criminal histories, registration status, outstanding warrants, and identifying information. This would help monitor repeat violent offenders. Threats could be avoided.   And our streets could be safer.

The public deserves to know when repeat violent offenders are released into their community. Employers, families, and acquaintances should know when a worker or neighbor has a history of violent, criminal acts. Keeping this information secret is a grave injustice. We need to do more for victims and their families.

Karly Rain matters. Stephanie matters. Iryna matters.

We owe their memories more. We can’t allow repeat violent offenders to terrorize our communities. A national registry would make our streets safer. It could prevent the next tragic act of violence. That’s why I’m fighting to make the Karly Rain Wood Act law.