New legislation co-sponsored by state Rep. Kent Coleman to toughen the penalties on those committing the most heinous crimes came into effect this month.
The law, HB2693, makes the murder of a pregnant woman an aggravating factor in the consideration of the death penalty in first-degree murder cases.
Rep. Coleman is the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, which has jurisdiction over civil and criminal law in the state, as well as law enforcement agencies and individual property rights.
“We have the death penalty in place in Tennessee to punish those who commit the most unforgivable crimes in our society,” Rep. Coleman stated. “The taking of two lives, one yet unborn, is without a doubt a truly unconscionable and unpardonable act.”