CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Bikers rolled into the state Capitol on Saturday afternoon to demonstrate support for a bill motivated by the slaying and sexual assault of a 10-month-old girl.
The bikers gathered in the lower Rotunda to show support for “Emmaleigh’s Law,” which would double the penalty for various child abuse penalties.
The bill is named in remembrance of Emmaleigh Barringer, a 10-month-old child who was sexually assaulted and slain in Jackson County last fall.
The girl’s mother, Amanda Adkins, was among the speakers at Saturday afternoon’s rally.
“I really feel like you guys being out here is proving to everybody that we need to stand up and be good to the community and to show everybody that child abuse can’t happen to other children. It’s not acceptable. There should be harsher punishments,” Adkins told the crowd.
The biker who goes by “Squeeze” in Jackson County said he empathizes with Adkins.
“I can’t imagine Emmaleigh’s poor mother. She is tore up. And she’s going to be tore up for the rest of her life. There’s not going to be a day that goes by that she’s not going to think of her daughter,” said Squeeze, whose real name is Gary Gwizdala.
He said it was important for the whole group to show support.
“There’s an old saying, ‘One person with courage makes a majority.’ Look around here, there’s a whole army. This is what we’re thinking about. We’re thinking about these kids who have been abused. We want to prevent child abuse. We don’t want it to ever happen.”
Benjamin Taylor, 32 was accused of striking and sexually assaulting Emmaleigh on the morning of Oct. 3, 2016, in the basement of the Fairplain apartment where he lived with Adkins. The girl died after being taken off life support two days later.
Emmaleigh died of a skull fracture, according to a report from the state Medical Examiner’s Office. The medical examiner testified there was evidence of sexual assault.
Taylor was indicted by a grand jury late last October on charges of first-degree murder, felony murder, death of a child by child abuse, first-degree sexual assault and sexual abuse by a guardian, custodian or person in a position of trust.
Senate Bill 288 would increase the penalties for a person convicted of death of a child by a parent, guardian or custodian from the current 10 to 40 years up to 20 to 80 years.
The punishment for child abuse resulting in injury would increase from from 1 to 5 years to 2 to 10 years.
The bill, sponsored by Senate President Mitch Carmichael, a resident of Jackson County where the crime took place, passed the Senate on March 22 and has been assigned to the House Judiciary committee.
Carmichael this afternoon addressed the bikers and the rest of those gathered in the lower Rotunda.
“There’s no greater calling than to protect those who are unable to protect themselves. That is what this bill is about,” Carmichael said. “You underscore the fact that this society will not tolerate this any longer. This society will do everything we can to protect those who need our help the most,” Carmichael said.
“We want to send an undeniable, firm guarantee that we will punish those who perpetrate these acts against our children. We will stand strong against those who want to weaken these penalties. It’s unfortunate we’re brought to this moment by such a tragic event. This law should bear the name of Emmaleigh.”
The bikers who had come to show their support for Emmaleigh’s law said the rally fits right in to the cause the brought them together in the first place.
“We’ve come together as a group to protect kids in the communities that have been sexually abused, affected from domestic violence,” said Rick Parsons, a St. Albans resident who leads Guardians of the Children.
“We want to keep perpetrators away from the children and give them an opportunity to testify in court and give them their childhood back.”
Mark Tinsley is a Winfield resident who goes by the name “Fuzzy.” He is president of Bikers Against Child Abuse. He said his bike group and Guardians of the Children are united in their desire to help and protect the young and innocent.
“We get together as a group and if we get a call about a child that has been abused, we gather as many as we can that are in our group and represent ourselves with this child to let them know they are safe, that they are a part of our family and to give them someone they can lean on,” Tinsley said.
“If they can’t talk to their parents or can’t talk to their counselor, this is something they can actually come and talk to us. It takes a lot for some to open up. Sometimes the leather-clad, ugly is brave and empowering. They can come and open up to us.”