Lawmaker plans crime-reporting ‘Jennifer’s Law’

GREENSBURG, Pa. (AP) — A western Pennsylvania legislator is proposing a crime-reporting bill named for a mentally disabled woman who was tortured and killed earlier this year.

State Sen. Kim Ward is planning a news conference today in Harrisburg to discuss a bill she calls “Jennifer’s Law.” The proposal would make it illegal for someone to witness a violent crime and fail to report it to police.

The Westmoreland County Republican says the proposed legislation was prompted by the February torture and slaying of 30-year-old Jennifer Daugherty.

Authorities say Daugherty was brutally tortured for several days before being stabbed to death and her body dumped in a parking lot. Two of the six people accused in her death are facing the death penalty.