Senate Judiciary hears bill to make abuse of a dead body a felony after Enosburg killing

A Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on March 28 examined H.41, a bill to create a felony for knowingly burning, mutilating, disfiguring, dismembering or otherwise destroying the dead body of a person, after testimony from family members of a murder victim and several health and civil‑liberties organizations.

The bill, introduced on the committee floor as a response to the July killing and post‑mortem abuse of Roberta Martin in Enosburg, would add a new offense in Title 13, §3761a and increase penalties in specified circumstances. "This is an incredibly emotional topic for me," said Representative Tom Burdick, the bill sponsor, before turning the committee over to a victim family member to describe the case that prompted the legislation.

Pam Martin Harris, the victim's daughter, delivered graphic testimony about her mother's death and the handling of her remains. "My mom was brutally murdered. Her body was set on fire," Harris said. She described learning forensic details, the discovery of remains, and the family's loss of the opportunity for a final goodbye. Harris asked that the committee consider naming H.41 "Roberta's Law" and urged lawmakers to…