Two years after her murder, Molly Jane is honored with state law
Two years after Molly Jane Matheson’s murder, Gov. Greg Abbott has signed a law in her honor.
Molly Jane’s Law, a measure designed to help law enforcers better track sexual assaults, was signed Wednesday by Abbott. It goes into effect Sept. 1.
The bill, by state Rep. Craig Goldman, R-Fort Worth, is named for Matheson, a 22-year-old Fort Worth woman who was murdered in 2017.
“Obviously, I’m thrilled we were able to accomplish this in Molly Jane’s memory and for her family,” said Goldman, who grew up with Molly Jane’s parents, Tracy and David Matheson.
The bill requires law enforcement agencies investigating a sexual assault to submit information such as a suspect’s name and date of birth, the offense being investigated and the circumstances around it into the national database of the Violent Criminal Apprehension Program, which is maintained by the FBI.
The goal is to help investigators find similarities in cases they are working on, potentially preventing the same person from attacking again.
At a committee hearing earlier this year, Goldman said, “No bill has been more important to me than this one.”
Molly Jane’s Law will be an incredible resource to law enforcement as they investigate cases of sexual assault, Tracy Matheson said in a statement.
“It will enable them to identify repeat offenders and patterns of offense. This will allow for arrests to be made, rapists to be prosecuted and convicted before they rape again or their behavior escalates.”
Reginald Gerard Kimbro, 25, is accused in Matheson’s rape and murder. He remains in the Tarrant County Jail, with bail set at more than $1 million. He once dated Matheson.
Police determined that Kimbro had visited Matheson’s home in the TCU area April 8, 2017, the night before her body was found.
He admitted he visited Matheson, but said she was alive when he left. Police believe he raped and strangled her, then washed her clothes, bedding and body, trying to get rid of the evidence. He was arrested after DNA tests tied him to evidence found on her body.
Kimbro also has been indicted in the capital murder of Megan Leigh Getrum, a 36-year-old Plano woman. He has been linked to other cases, including the choking and raping of a 20-year-old woman in South Padre Island in 2014.
This story was originally published May 29, 2019 at 2:42 PM with the headline "Two years after her murder, Molly Jane is honored with state law."
