Deval Patrick signs repeat offender crime bill in private State House ceremony

By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff

Governor Deval Patrick today held a private signing ceremony to enact a law that removes the possiblility of parole for certain repeat criminal offenders, handing the pen he used to advocate Les Gosule.

The murder of his daughter, Melissa Gosule, provided the impetus for the so-called “three-strikes” legislation, which gained added momentum after the murder nearly two years ago of Woburn Police Officer John “Jack” Maguire by a repeat offender.

The bill was signed at 9:45 a.m. in Patrick’s office in the State House.

In a subsequent e-mail to reporters, Gosule said he was heading to the Sharon cemetery where his daughter is buried to mark the occasion at her grave.

“After a 13-year struggle to achieve this new public safety law, I want to first dedicate this victory to my daughter, Melissa. Melissa, this one’s for you. In your life, you always cared and did good things for others. May your death also bring some good to others through this new law,” Gosule wrote.

In thanking citizens and lawmakers who rallied to his cause, Gosule added: “This victory just goes to show that it’s still possible for the good guys to win, and that good things can still come out of Beacon Hill!”