REKIAH’S LAW
REKIAH'S LAW·SUNDAY, JULY 22, 2018·
REKIAH'S LAW STATES THAT ANY PERSON WHO FIRES A GUN AND KILLS ANOTHER HUMAN, UNLESS IN SELF DEFENCE, WILL INSTANTLY BE CONVICTED OF MURDER. REKIAH'S LAW ALSO HOLDS THE BELIEF THAT INTOXICATION SHOULD NOT BE USED AS AN EXCUSE FOR ANY TYPE OF CRIME, IN ANY TYPE OF COURT. Who we are:
My name is Jesse O'Donnell and I am the brother of Rekiah O'Donnell. I am 25 years old and determined to make a difference, and I believe that with your help, we can make that difference. I am running this page alongside my girlfriend Jessica Cannuli, her mother, Catherine Havers and my mother, Kerryn Robertson. Together, we hope to make a real difference in our legal system and protect as many families and victims as we can, so that they never have to go through what my family has gone through. I've spent my life believing that if anything ever happened to me or my loved ones, the justice and legal systems would be on my side. That was torn away from me, and I now feel that there is no security left. Our "justice" system has favoured my sister's killer and downgraded his murder charge to manslaughter. That is a scary thought. The worst part is the fact that anybody who claims it was an accident can easily get away with murder. They will be walking the streets among innocent people in only a few years. We are constantly being bombarded with murder cases - such as Jill Meagher's and Masa Vukotic's - where the perpetrator has previously been convicted of multiple rape or assault charges and have been freed from prison, let out only to kill an innocent person. We are no longer safe and that needs to change. Join us in our fight for justice and protection. Our story:
On the 11th October 2013, I received the most gut wrenching phone call from my father. He had called to tell me that my 22 year old sister, Rekiah, had been murdered - shot in the head by the person who claimed to love her, Nelson Lai. Nelson had mentally and physically abused my sister for months on end, beating her, holding knives to her throat, kicking her in stomach, accusing her of cheating - which, when she denied, threatened to kill her until she admitted to being unfaithful. Rekiah would lie and tell Nelson she had feelings for other men, just to get a break from the abuse, as it seemed to satisfy his ice-fuelled frenzy. Nelson threatened to kill her on so many occasions, it became the norm. When Rekiah wanted to leave the relationship, Nelson would threaten to kill her family and her friends. My sister was a beautiful, headstrong woman. When she wanted something, she would stop at nothing to achieve it. She had a fierce determination and love for her family and friends, and always looked for the best in people. She saw something in Nelson - something that no one else could - and begged him to seek help. She would read psychology books and give him pamphlets on domestic violence. Yet, this murderer, Nelson Lai, did not care. At approximately 9am on October 11th, he shot my sister in the head. Nelson finally followed through on all his death threats. Nelson's defence in court for the months of abuse and Rekiah's murder, included excuses such as, "I didn't know the gun was loaded," and "I was scattered, from coming down off ice." These excuses convinced the jury to clear Nelson Lai of murder. Why we are not safe:
WHY does the government allow such pathetic excuses in court? Nelson Lai consciously chose to consume an illegal substance, fully knowing the effect ice had on his behaviour, therefore should be held fully accountable for all actions he made afterward. WHY is the jury not allowed to hear details of the accused's past? Nelson Lai had previously spent time in prison, and had abused a previous partner in front of their children. He was well known by police due to his criminal record and drug abuse - yet this had no bearing on his verdict. WHY is the precise aim of the gun not taken into account? Rekiah was shot directly in the temple. Ballistics experts gave evidence that this proved intent to kill, yet Nelson Lai was convicted only of manslaughter. And finally, WHY does our government not care that these murderers are getting such short jail sentences, that in a few years, they will be wandering the streets, ready to commit these crimes again, and again, and again? It is such a dangerous precedent that we are setting. Monsters like Nelson will continually kill innocent people with the knowledge that they can easily get away with it. Potential killers who have followed this story will have renewed hope that they can get away with such a heinous crime by blaming drugs, alcohol or simply by crying "accident". We must stop them. How can you help put these murderers behind bars? We must prove to the Victorian and Australian Governments that there is enough support behind Rekiah's Law; that there are enough people screaming for justice and protection from our legal and justice systems. That there are enough people saying 'enough is enough.' That there are enough people reminding the justice system that they are meant to be there to protect and remember the victims and punish the guilty. The Rekiah's Law petition (which is now closed), received 38,382 signatures. Thank you to everyone who supported this petition. It was an awesome amount of people who signed. Together, I feel that we can make this a reality. That we can stand up to our Government and make them listen. Let's bring justice to not only my family, but to the many thousands of families who have been affected by this and the many thousands of families who will still have to go through it. This is for you. Remember the Victims, Punish the Guilty. Jesse O'Donnell
NOTE: The Royal Commission into Family Violence came back in March 2016 with many recommendations for the Victorian Government in order to try and prevent Family Violence. Sadly, whilst we feel the Royal Commission has done an excellent job in addressing many issues related to Domestic Violence, there are so many more issues that need to be resolved.
