Nearly three years after Belmont University freshman Jillian Ludwig was killed by a stray bullet near campus in Nashville, her family is pushing to bring legislation similar to Tennessee’s “Jillian’s Law” to their home state of New Jersey.
The proposal, now introduced in the New Jersey state house, would require institutional commitment for certain violent offenders found incompetent to stand trial — specifically those charged with violent crimes like murder or aggravated assault. Under the measure, persons found incompetent to stand trial by two expert evaluators would be required to be committed.
This past March, the man responsible for Jillian’s death pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 38 years in prison without parole…