BOISE, Idaho — On Tuesday, Idaho Governor Brad Little released a statement defending his signing of House Bill 380, which would allow the state to pursue the death penalty for crimes outside of murder — specifically, for those charged with lewd conduct with children 12 and younger.
“Just like capital murder destroys lives, aggravated sexual abuse of a young child devastates victims and families for generations," Gov. Little said. "The sexual abuse of children is sickening and evil, and perpetrators convicted of these crimes deserve the ultimate punishment."
The law is set to go into effect of July 1, however, lawmakers expect the law to face legal challenges, as the U.S. Supreme Court previously ruled in 2008 that the death penalty cannot be used for cases of child rape.
"Idaho also just became the ONLY state to make death by firing squad the primary method of execution," Gov. Little said. "I commend my partners in the Legislature for strengthening Idaho’s already powerful ‘tough on crime’ reputation among the states."
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