Amanda Dean's Law introduced in Ohio House

NORWALK — A new Ohio law named after slain Huron County woman Amanda Dean — first announced during a press conference with Dean's family earlier this week — was formally introduced in the Ohio House this week. Legislation referred to as Amanda Dean's Law, if passed, would create a tiered increase in criminal penalties for abuse of a corpse, including harsher sentences when the conduct is used to conceal a crime or obstruct justice. The bill has been submitted for numbering and awaits committee assignment. Once assigned, it is expected to be referred to a House committee for hearings before any floor vote. The bill, sponsored by State Representatives Gayle Manning, R-Avon, and Kellie Deeter, R-Norwalk, establishes multiple felony levels depending on the severity of the conduct and the intent behind it. Deeter said that since the Ohio House is in recess, she hasn't had the chance to speak with other members concerning the bill, with one major exception. According to Deeter, she approached Ohio Sen. Nathan Manning, R-North Ridgeville, whose Senate District 13 covers Norwalk and much of Huron County, and requested that he introduce a Senate companion bill. She said a companion bill would expedite the bill's passage. "We have had that conversation and he is considering that request now," she said. Sen. Manning, who is the son of Rep. Manning, heads the Ohio Senate Judiciary Committee and is "supportive" of the bill, Deeter said. A call to Sen. Manning's office was not returned by press time. How it originated The legislation is named for Amanda Dean, whose case lawmakers say exposed gaps in Ohio law. Amanda Dean, a 36-year-old mother of four, was killed in 2017. Prosecutors said her boyfriend, Fred Reer, killed her inside the home they shared, then dismembered her body, burned her remains over several days, crushed the bones and disposed of them in a creek to conceal the crime. Dean's body has never been recovered. On Jan. 5, a Huron County judge sentenced Reer to 14 years in prison after he entered a guilty plea. Her family spoke during a press conference in Cleveland earlier this week, during which Manning and Deeter announced their bill proposal. Family said the handling of Dean's remains compounded their loss and prolonged their grief. "That abuse of a corpse, 12 months max, that does not fit the crime," Amanda's mother Caroline Tokar said, referring to sentencing limitations. "It's a death sentence to the family, too, knowing they can't bring her home." Amanda's sister, Shannon Dean, said the legislation could deter similar conduct and help other families. "It may possibly deter people from doing what he did," Dean said. "When you do something like this, so heinous, you're killing that person all over again." New bill proposed Deeter said the bill is named for Dean because her case highlighted how Ohio law treats the destruction and disposal of a body used to hide a homicide as a lesser offense. Under the proposed legislation, abuse of a corpse that "outrages reasonable family sensibilities" would be classified as a fifth-degree felony, while gross abuse of a corpse would be increased to a fourth-degree felony. The offense would rise to a third-degree felony if the conduct involves dismemberment, mutilation, or intentional disfigurement. A second-degree felony would apply when those acts are committed to conceal a crime, obstruct justice, or interfere with a criminal investigation or prosecution. Rep. Manning said the changes are intended to address future cases. "The fact that this guy could get out (of prison) as quickly as he can, the fact that Representative Deeter and I are hoping to increase that penalty so that years would be added to the sentencing," Rep. Manning said. "It won't help in this situation, but going forward, if we can get this passed, it will help." Deeter said the bill is designed to address conduct that often receives limited punishment despite its impact on victims' families. "These types of acts are not afterthoughts," Deeter said. "They're part of the violence. They're part of the cruelty." Other states' legislation Several states already classify abuse of a corpse as a serious felony, particularly when the conduct involves dismemberment or is intended to conceal a crime. In Florida, state law makes mutilating or otherwise grossly abusing a dead human body a second-degree felony, regardless of whether the offense is charged alongside a homicide, according to Florida Statutes. Wisconsin law explicitly ties higher penalties to intent. The statute makes it a felony to mutilate, dismember, or conceal a corpse when done to hide a crime or avoid apprehension, distinguishing routine handling of remains from acts meant to obstruct justice, according to Wisconsin Statutes and Annotations. By comparison, Ohio law currently classifies gross abuse of a corpse as a fifth-degree felony, with a potential sentence of six to 12 months, and does not distinguish between basic abuse and conduct tied to concealment of a violent crime. Supporters of Amanda Dean's Law say the proposed legislation would bring Ohio closer in line with states such as Florida and Wisconsin by creating higher felony levels when abuse of a corpse involves dismemberment, destruction of remains, or efforts to conceal a homicide or interfere with an investigation.