This is a big step in the wrong direction.
The family of a Newton mother and daughter who were killed last year is pushing for a new law that would reveal the names of child sex offenders.
Keith Hawkins was sentenced this month to life without the possibility of parole for the deaths of 24-year-old Alyssa Runyon and 4-year-old Zaylynn Paz. In a letter to Runyon’s family, Hawkins said he harmed the child first.
When Hawkins was 12 years old, he was convicted of indecent liberties with a 5-year-old girl. But because he was a juvenile when he committed the crime, a judge sealed Hawkins’ record.
The Kansas legislature is considering what is being called the “Aly-Zay Law,” which would disclose the names of juveniles required to register as sex offenders in Kansas.
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