BRONX- The mother of 12-year-old Jacob Freytes, who was killed by gunfire while riding his bicycle in the Bronx, joined state lawmakers and a candidate for State Attorney General on Saturday to announce proposed legislation named in his memory that would impose tougher penalties in cases involving the death of a child.
The legislation, dubbed “Jacob’s Law,” would seek to increase penalties for people whose reckless actions result in the death of a child. It is expected to be sponsored in the state Senate by Senators Steve Chan (R, Brooklyn) and Steve Rhoads (R, Nassau County) and Assemblyman John Mikulin (R, Nassau County).
The announcement was held outside 104 Elliot Place, where Jacob was killed two weeks earlier. He lived in Walden and was a student at Valley Central Middle School. The young boy was shot by a career criminal while visiting family in the Bronx.
Jacob’s mother, Migdalia Martinez, said she received her son’s urn and described the pain of losing her child.
“I shouldn’t have to be going through this,” Martinez said. “Instead of riding his bike, he’s resting in an urn. I want to be at peace, knowing that not only will this man go to jail for the rest of his life without parole, but also be assured that everyone else’s child – the person who did it to that child – faces the same thing. There is no way a mother should have to outlive her child through such tragedy.”
Saritha Komatireddy, a candidate for New York Attorney General who worked with Jacob’s family and lawmakers on the proposal, said the legislation is intended to reflect the severity of crimes that result in the death of a child.
“Jacob should be alive today,” Komatireddy said. “When someone acts with such reckless disregard for human life that a child is killed, our laws should reflect the gravity of that loss.”
The proposal is expected to be formally introduced in both chambers of the State Legislature.
“Nothing will ever bring my son back, but I will continue fighting in his name so that another mother does not have to experience the pain that I live with every day,” Martinez said. “Jacob’s name will not be forgotten. I want his life and his story to lead to change, and I am asking lawmakers across New York to stand with our family and pass Jacob’s Law.”
Comments