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Salem board approves “Stephanie’s Law” rally for slain Peabody woman
By Justin A. Rice, Town Correspondent
Last night the Salem Park and Recreation Commission approved a rally scheduled for Aug. 27 at Salem Willows in support of “Stephanie’s Law.” The law was filed on Beacon Hill yesterday in response to the January murder of a 25-year-old mental-health case worker, Stephanie Moulton of Peabody.
Moulton was slain at a state-funded group home in Revere, where she was working alone with a patient who had a violent criminal record. The bill calls for "panic buttons" in mental health facilities that would alert police when pushed.
Moulton’s mother, Kim Flynn of Peabody, appealed to the commission at the Salem Senior Center last night because Salem Willows has never hosted a rally before.
Slated to start at 1 p.m., the Aug. 27 rally will launch the lobbying efforts for "Stephanie's Law."
“We just want to make sure workers are safe and it doesn’t happen again,” Flynn said after successfully making her case to the commission. “It’s been seven months, but none of us are the same. Our daughter died for no reason.”
A 27-year-old schizophrenic, Deshawn Chappell, will be put on trial for the Jan. 20 murder next April. The group home’s operator, North Suffolk Mental Health Association, was fined $7,000 last month by Occupational Safety and Health Administration. In addition to citing “serious violations” the federal agency recommended that the nonprofit conduct criminal and sexual offender records checks and install panic buttons, walkie-talkies, recording security camera systems, and smart phone GPS applications to increase safety for staff.
“If changes aren’t made, it will happen again,” Moulton’s fiancé, Ryan Papazian, 28, said last night.
The Beacon Hill bill filed yesterday is based on a June report from the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health's Task Force on Staff and Client Safety. It was sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Fred Berry of Peabody.
"He's been right there the whole way," Flynn said of Berry. "He was at my daughter's funeral, and he hasn't left our side since."
Justin A. Rice can be reached at jrice.globe@gmail.com.
Last night the Salem Park and Recreation Commission approved a rally scheduled for Aug. 27 at Salem Willows in support of “Stephanie’s Law.” The law was filed on Beacon Hill yesterday in response to the January murder of a 25-year-old mental-health case worker, Stephanie Moulton of Peabody.
Moulton was slain at a state-funded group home in Revere, where she was working alone with a patient who had a violent criminal record. The bill calls for "panic buttons" in mental health facilities that would alert police when pushed.
Moulton’s mother, Kim Flynn of Peabody, appealed to the commission at the Salem Senior Center last night because Salem Willows has never hosted a rally before.
Slated to start at 1 p.m., the Aug. 27 rally will launch the lobbying efforts for "Stephanie's Law."
“We just want to make sure workers are safe and it doesn’t happen again,” Flynn said after successfully making her case to the commission. “It’s been seven months, but none of us are the same. Our daughter died for no reason.”
A 27-year-old schizophrenic, Deshawn Chappell, will be put on trial for the Jan. 20 murder next April. The group home’s operator, North Suffolk Mental Health Association, was fined $7,000 last month by Occupational Safety and Health Administration. In addition to citing “serious violations” the federal agency recommended that the nonprofit conduct criminal and sexual offender records checks and install panic buttons, walkie-talkies, recording security camera systems, and smart phone GPS applications to increase safety for staff.
“If changes aren’t made, it will happen again,” Moulton’s fiancé, Ryan Papazian, 28, said last night.
The Beacon Hill bill filed yesterday is based on a June report from the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health's Task Force on Staff and Client Safety. It was sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Fred Berry of Peabody.
"He's been right there the whole way," Flynn said of Berry. "He was at my daughter's funeral, and he hasn't left our side since."
Justin A. Rice can be reached at jrice.globe@gmail.com.
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