In loving memory of Leah R. Gustafson 1976 - 2006 . . .it's been two years and we still miss you!

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*Disclaimer*
WHEN YOU SIGN THE REGISTRY FOR YOUR STATE -

Don't include your full address if you don't want it available to the public online. Please only sign your full name and city/state in that situation.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

What is Leah's Law?

Right now it's just a dream, a hopeful change in the legal system that will one day be accepted into law. We are eagerly lobbying online and offline with politicians and anyone who will listen! If you want to join in the fight to change the laws, please contact us and we will send you information to forward to the politicians, give you a book to help gather signatures, whatever it is you need.

What is it that we want to change? The difference between Wisconsin and Minnesota is that you cannot access the Minnesota court records and find out what your neighbors are 'up to' unless you go to the court house. Violent criminals and offenders should have their information displayed publicly both in Wisconsin (which it does if you know how to read the court records) and in Minnesota.

What we are fighting for on Leah's behalf would be for REPEAT (a.k.a. HABITUAL OFFENDERS) violent offenders in Minnesota/Wisconsin to have to notify neighbors when they move into their neighborhood. This sounds familiar doesn't it? Yes, this is what we do with convicted sex offenders, and I think in the case of HABITUAL criminals (especially those with violence and restraining order violations) should have to do the same thing as a convicted sex offender.

We are also going to lobby for stricter jail time for violations of parole, restraining orders, and repeat offenses. If we can get these people off of the streets, or at least KNOW who they are, we have a better chance at protecting ourselves, our communities, and our rights.

If you have an active warrant in Wisconsin and move to Minnesota, updating your address, you should be expedited to the county where you have an arrest out for you and be held accountable, but this might be harder for us to get passed.

Define "REPETITIVE VIOLENT OFFENDER"....
The offenders are those convicted of:

1. 1st or 2nd degree murder;

2. 1st degree manslaughter;

3. (a) shooting or discharging a firearm with intent to kill; (b) using a vehicle to facilitate the intentional discharge of a firearm, crossbow, or other weapon; or (c) assault and battery with a deadly weapon or by means likely to produce death;

4. assault with intent to kill;

5. bombing;

6. attempt to commit any of these crimes; or

7. any crime substantially similar to these adjudicated by a state, federal, tribal, or military court.

A person must register during his sentence and for 10 years after completing the sentence, which includes any term that is deferred, suspended, or subject to parole. A person must register for life as a habitual violent crime offender if he is convicted of a crime requiring registration and (1) is later convicted of another crime requiring registration or (2) enters the state after DATE LAW IS PASSED and has a conviction in another state for a crime that would require registration in current state.

What does a repetitive violent offender look like?

Well let's check the Wisconsin Court Records to see what Leah's murder, Jason Borelli, had in his past. Wisconsin Court Records Website records indicate Jason Borelli had a "few scrapes with the law", does this look a little extensive to anyone but us? Click each screen capture to view his record in detail.

Leah's Law - Our Focus -

1. We would like to see a criminal database and information system in place for public use in Wisconsin and Minnesota, with free access for the general public online, but in the future possibly including a mailing registry. We want the database to specifically emphasis crimes committed by what either state deems a "repetitive offender". This includes person(s) who violate restraining orders.

2. We would like a public notification system online in place so that residents who live within an area where one of these violent repetitive offenders lives can be aware of that the person in the neighborhood. Notifications would need to include a photo of the offender, address of the offender, what previous offenses were (if they were violent offenders), and any previous criminal history that would be beneficial regarding violent offenses and/or restraining order violations. We feel that this would make our neighborhoods safer since neighborhood residents will be aware which people are violent offenders and thus be better able to protect themselves either by failing to interact with these people, or by contacting the local police department if need be.

3. We are calling for repetitive offenders in Wisconsin and Minnesota to face stricter jail sentences for repetitive violent offenses or restraining order violations, and less chances to post bail or have time served avoided by paying monetary fees/fines.

All of the above are for criminals that were convicted in court of the crimes, not people or persons still on trial.
 

Other States That Have This Law Already In Place

Wisconsin and Minnesota do not have a repetitive violent offender registry already in place, however there are several other states that have the law in place and work with the community to provide information to the public. The following states all have REPETITIVE VIOLENT OFFENDER REGISTRIES: Florida, Montanna, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Ohio. Michigan, Conneticut, and Illinois are in the process of trying to pass legislation to also enact a violent offender registry in their states. This is by no means a new idea.

PLEASE SIGN THE LEAH'S LAW ONLINE PETITION

Help pass LEAH'S LAW in Wisconsin & Minnesota by showing our government that we ARE paying attention!

Read On - Here's What's Happening...
On January 7, 2006 Leah Gustafson was brutally murdered in her Superior, Wisconsin home by someone who the state of Wisconsin had classified as a "repetitive violent offender". Repetitive Violent Offenders are arguing that their rights are greater than the rights that communities have to be made aware of their presence. The decisions of the Wisconsin and Minnesota legislation will shape the future of our nation's Leah's Law. Leah's Law would require that both Wisconsin and Minnesota set up public online databases, much like the Sex Offender databases currently in place, and maintain the database with updated registered repetitive violent offender information such as photograph, current address, and previous convicted crimes. Leah's Law would also require a U.S. postal mail notification possibly in the future, to residents in a repetitive violent offender's neighborhood.
 

Call For Action
Help pass Leah's Law in Wisconsin and Minnesota by showing our government that we ARE paying attention! You can help by distributing petitions throughout your neighborhood/city! You can also help by signing our online petition that will be given to both Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty and Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle.

Action
Clink on the link below sign the petition for your state of residency. Only Minnesota and Wisconsin residents are urged to sign. Please only add your address if you feel comfortable having the address available online publicly. Otherwise please sign your full name and city/state.

Leah's Law Members will be sending copies of the petition to both Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty and Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle.

Minnesota's Leah's Law Online Petition

Wisconsin's Leah's Law Online Petition

Please remember, any information you receive about a registered repetitive violent offender must be used responsibly. Be aware that harassing or committing any type of vigilante activity against any individual registered, not only undermines the tremendous effort to bring you this information, but is a crime. Use of this information to commit a felony shall be punished by a 5 year prison term in addition to any other punishment.

Who Are You?

I was a friend and coworker of Leah's for nearly three years. When Leah was murdered all of her family, coworkers, and friends were left saddened, dismayed, shocked, and angered.

Why would someone who didn't even know her viciously attack her? Why did this happen? There were many questions and it seemed no one was providing any tangible answers the rest of us could understand?

After Leah died, I was constantly checking my front door to make sure it was locked, I had panic attacks, I was fearful of being home alone at night, sleeping alone, being alone in the dark. I was afraid that Leah could've easily been me, or maybe it will be me. I thought about Leah every day, prayed for her family/friends, and I'm still thinking and praying.

For two years I had lived a few blocks from where Leah was murdered. I used to walk down the street of John Avenue with my son on summer evenings, my church is located in the same neighborhood where Leah was murdered, and I knew that Leah could've been me. Would I have opened the door when someone was using the security buzzer to try to get in at 4:30 a.m.? Am I that trusting? Am I too trusting?

Unless it's related to domestic violence, murder isn't something you usually hear about in Duluth or Superior. Most certainly our community isn't one where people are just randomly murdered by strangers. After Leah's murder, I struggled to feel some sort of control over my anger. Trying to understand why this happened, I read Jason Borelli's criminal history on the Wisconsin Court Records Website.

When I read that Borelli had a criminal wrap sheet longer then my hair, I became angry. It seemed that he had an open warrant in Washburn County the day he murdered Leah. What stunned me was that not only did he have an open warrant (three felony failure to pay child support charges), he had updated his address with Washburn County on 11-18-2005 to 1901 John Avenue (Superior).

That's when I had an awakening, Leah had no warning that Borelli was a repetitive violent criminal. If she (or anyone else in the neighborhood) had been aware that Borelli had previously been convicted of viciously attacking women (his own mother, for example), or that he was currently facing felony charges, and she would've been knowledgeable enough to know what reaction she should take when he tried to interact with her.

If anything is to be said about Leah, she was a very smart woman. She would've known that any interaction with the accused murder was likely to end violently, just based on his criminal career. That's when I decided that something needed to be changed with the legal system so that the public can be notified of people living in their neighborhoods who could be dangers.

After all, we notify neighborhoods when convicted sexual offenders move into the community, what's the difference between a sexual offender and repetitive violent offender?

I began writing to legislators, governors, and anyone I could possibly think of that might be able to help me in my quest to change the laws. I called the idea "Leah's Law" and made a make-shift website to keep others informed, refer politicians to, etc. I received a wonderful response from coworkers/family, and I wanted to direct my pain and anger toward something positive, something that could help others. Something that could've helped Leah.

With Leah's Law we are striving for harsher jail sentences for repetitive violent offenders/restraining order violators (deemed by the state), less chances to post bail/pay monetary fines for their convictions, and an online system in place where people can research offenders living in their neighborhoods. I would like a public mailing list in the future but for now we are focusing on an online registry that would include: a photo of the offender, any criminal history relevant to their violent convictions, and specific information about where the offender is located (living).

I think that if we, as a community, were aware of who poses a threat/risk in our neighborhoods we can better make an informed decision if approached by these individuals and about our chosen interaction with them. We'd also be more aware when it would be appropriate to contact law enforcement if the need would arise.

• If you have any questions, suggestions, or comments please feel free to e-mail us and we will respond as soon as possible. If you are an owner of a local business and want to have one of the LEAH'S LAW booklets at your business, please contact us and we will get you one as soon as possible.

What Are You Doing?

Currently Melinda, Kelly, Nicole, Denise, Parrot, Kristine, and I (Mary) are trying to gather advice/direction from local politicians, writing to national talk shows/radio shows in hopes of sparking political interest/support, and collecting signatures of Duluth/Superior residents that we will send (once it's completed) to each state's governor with letters expressing our concern that these changes are utilized. We expect to have enough signatures to present to both governors when we meet with them, in the near future.

This will take time to complete, it's very overwhelming, and at times aggravating; however we refuse to give up. We don't want Leah's death to be in vein, and if we can help protect one person- all of our combined efforts will be worth it.

This site is maintained by Leah's Law group members: Melinda, Mary, Kristine, Parrot, Denise, and Kelly.