Taylors Law will allow Mother to Honor Son in Court

LaDonna Heintzelman wanted the right to wear a button with her sons picture during the trial of the man accused of his murder. State Sen. Jim Reynolds said the Midwest City mother will have that right. Thats after Senate Bill , known as Taylors Law was signed by Gov. Brad Henry on Wednesday. The bill was named for Heintzelmans son.
When I heard LaDonnas story, I immediately wanted to help. She simply wants to be able to honor her son with a photo of how he was in life, said Reynolds, ROklahoma City. This is an important day for victims rights and for Taylors family.
SB would require courts to allow immediate family members of a murder victim to wear photo buttons. Those buttons could be up to four inches in diameter. Reynolds said as the result of a case out of California, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously in favor of allowing families to wear such buttons in court. Reynolds said this was likely the first such law to be passed since that ruling.
Heintzelman said she was thrilled to learn that the bill had made it all the way through the legislative process and had been signed into law. Heintzelman said she wanted her son to be remembered as the smiling, funny person he was.
The defendant is not going to look the way he did the day he committed the crime when were in trial. He has the opportunity to make eyecontact with the jury, to be in a clean suit, to have a fresh hair cut. My child doesnt have that. Hes only portrayed in the trial through crime scene photos, and thats not fair. Its a huge injustice to him, and we just want to equal the scales a little bit.
Heintzelman said she was very thankful that Sen. Reynolds had written Taylors Law, along with Rep. Sue Tibbs, coauthor of the measure, and thanked Gov. Henry for signing it. The trial for her sons accused killer is scheduled to begin next month.
I cant even begin to tell you how happy that makes me just to know that I can have Taylor on my shoulder, very close to my hearthes always in my heart, said Heintzelman, adding it was wonderful that she would be able to represent him the way she remembered himwith a smile.