WA: Murder of Two Men Fuels Debate Over Sex Offender Registration

The debate in Washington State over how much information to share publicly about people who have been convicted of sex offenses has been re-ignited by the murder of two men, both of whom were registered as sex offenders. Michael Mullen, a man who identifies as a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, has been charged with two counts of aggravated murder for killing the two men after posing as an FBI agent so that he could be invited into their home. He located the men using a website that provides names and addresses of people convicted of sex offenses.

State Representative Al O’Brien, (Mountlake Terrace), has already pledged to introduce legislation modeled after Florida’s “Jessica’s Law” that would enact tougher sentences for first-time sex offenders and require electronic monitoring of people convicted of sex offenses once they are released back into the community. Rep. O'Brien is reported to be concerned these murders may decrease support for laws that make people's previous convictions for sex offenses publicly available.

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