SALT LAKE CITY — Last week, Utah Lawmakers signed House Bill 127, also known as Ashley's Law.
“I know that she will be glad that someone else will be protected,” said Paula Vigil, Ashley’s mother.
Paula has been advocating for change after her daughter Ashley was raped by her former stepfather.
She says it's been a long fight, all to protect others like Ashley.
“[Ashley] had a condition called Rett syndrome and was severely incapacitated because of it," Paula said. "[She] was raped by her stepfather, and when we went to prosecute him, we found out that he wouldn’t be treated as if she were."
When the prosecution began, Paula said the time that would be served wasn't enough.
“We prosecuted the case and convicted him off two counts of rape, three counts of forcible sexual abuse, and through that prosecution we learned that although this was a person who was incapacitated and a person who in some senses was almost childlike... but nonetheless, because she was an adult, the punishment was less than if she had been a child,” said Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill.
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Paula explained that even though Ashley was an adult woman, because of her disability, she wasn’t able to defend herself.
Ashley passed away on March 16, 2024, at 31 years old.
“To have to stand at your daughter’s grave… It’s like nothing you can explain to anyone,” Paula said.
Gill shared that he discovered a gap in the system for protecting incapacitated individuals.
"Created Ashley‘s Law, which allows us to raise the floor, which is 10 years to life for anybody who would engage in this kind of behavior,” said Gill.
For the past few years, Paula has been working toward change.
“One more vote, one more step, one more signature — yay!” she said.
House Bill 127 says those convicted of rape against an incapacitated individual will carry a mandatory minimum of 10 years to life in prison.
“They're going away for a very long time. And it’s because of you — you saved someone else, Ash,” said Paula.
She said it's been a long road to get Ashley's Law passed, and now there is hope to protect others.
“Hopefully her name, attached to this change in the law, will bring some better measure of justice,” said Gill.
Paula shared that she will work to make positive changes for others.
“I want people to know this isn’t the end. This is just the beginning,” she said.
