LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – A bill signed into law on Thursday creates rape of a minor as a death penalty offense.
Senate Bill 375 was signed into law by Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders after passing the legislature on April 10, making Arkansas one of the few states in the nation with a law allowing the death penalty for the rape of a minor.
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If the person committing the rape is over 18, they can receive either the death penalty or life without parole, according to the act’s language. If under 18, the mandatory sentence is life with the possibility of parole after 20 years.
The law states that if it is found unconstitutional, the capital rape charge reverts to a Class Y felony with a minimum 25 year sentence…