Lauria and Ashley’s Law passes in House: Here's the potential impact on prison sentencing policies

A bill named in honor of Lauria Bible and Ashley Freeman, two 16-year-olds who disappeared from Welch, Oklahoma, 25 years ago, passed the Oklahoma House on Wednesday, moving one step closer to becoming law.

Bible and Freeman were kidnapped from a home in Welch, Oklahoma, in 1999 and presumed killed. The man who was convicted of felony accessory to murder in the case was released from prison after serving less than three years of his 10-year sentence.

Lauria and Ashley’s Law would make felony accessory to murder an 85% crime with no option of early release due to good behavior.

This change would align accessory to murder with other serious violent crimes in Oklahoma, ensuring those convicted spend more time behind bars. Oklahoma’s current sentencing laws allow many offenders to earn good behavior credits, reducing their time served.

Lauria and Ashley’s Law would eliminate this option for felony accessory to murder.

The bill's author, State Rep. Steve Bashore (R-Miami) has said in November that the bill would ensure criminals like Busick would have to serve more of their actual time and not earn credits toward an early release. A previous version of this bill stalled in the Senate in 2024.

Related Story: Oklahoma's Own In Focus: HB 2946 Hopes To Lengthen Time Served For Criminals

What Happened To Lauria Bible and Ashley Freeman?

DISAPPEARANCE

Lauria Bible spent the night at her friend Ashley Freeman’s home in December of 1999.

Freeman’s parents were found shot to death and their home set on fire, but the girls were missing.

Both Bible and Freeman are believed to be dead but they have never been found.

HEARTBREAK INTO ACTION

Lauria and Ashley’s Law was proposed last session and passed the House, but was not heard in the Senate.

Rep. Steve Bashore (R-Miami) is the author of the bill and recognized Bible on the House floor for her work on the bill.

“I’d like to introduce someone that’s been very special, the person that is responsible for bringing this law to fruition,” said Bashore. “The mother of Lauria Bible, who is still missing to this day, is in the south gallery. And she is the most tenacious woman that I have ever met in my life, please welcome Lorene Bible.”

MOTHER’S RESPONSE

Lorene Bible, Lauria Bible’s mother, says she is happy the bill passed the house but there is still more work to be done.

“So another person isn’t standing where I’m at,” said Bible. “And spend 25 years, what do I need to do, how hard do I need to fight, and fight and fight and fight, and ultimately they get that person and and due to technicalities or the laws that there is, they can go to prison, be a model prisoner, and be out in 18 months.”

She hopes lawmakers will come together across party lines to vote for it.

“This isn’t political,” said Bible. “It’s not about a reform, it’s not a democrat and it’s not a republican. It’s a family. It’s a mother and father that your child is taken off the face of the Earth, in imaginary things is done to them, you finally find somebody to hold accountable for your child or your loved one’s death, and you’re able to put them where you need to go.”

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“To this day, as we sit here, is still searching for her daughter, and she will not give up until she finds some answers,” said the bill's author Rep. Steve Bashore, (R-Miami) in November. “I can't sit here and say I know how Lorene Bible feels; there's no way I can say that, but let's try to put ourselves in that position, to think about it from their perspective.”

Ronnie Busick was convicted of being a felony accessory to murder in relation to the girl's disappearance and sentenced to 10 years in prison. He was released from prison after serving less than three years due to good behavior.

The Department of Corrections noted that Busick’s time spent in county jail, combined with his good behavior, such as maintaining a clean cell, being a courteous inmate, and other positive actions, contributed to his early release.

Not all lawmakers are in support of the bill, including State Rep. John Waldron.

Statement from Oklahoma State Rep. John Waldron:

“Adding accessory to 1st or 2nd degree murder to the 85% list creates major problems. Accessory can occur after the fact, and this law imposes big penalties on people who might have had no direct connection to a crime. While I respect the intent of the bill - to address a heinous crime - I also know that the people of Oklahoma voted to enact criminal justice reform in State Question 780. We need to respect the wishes of the people and address our status as one of the leading states in the nation for mass incarceration.”