By Staff Report
A bill that would require people convicted of certain dangerous crimes to be immediately taken into custody unanimously passed the Senate Appropriations Committee on Criminal and Civil Justice on Wednesday.
The measure, SB 928, titled “Missy’s Law,” would require defendants found guilty of designated dangerous crimes to remain in custody pending sentencing or further proceedings, without the possibility of release on bond.
The bill also would add computer pornography and child exploitation to the list of offenses classified as dangerous crimes.
The proposal is named after Melissa “Missy” Mogle, a 5-year-old girl who died in Tallahassee in 2025 after being abused by her stepfather, Daniel Spencer. In 2024, Spencer had been charged and adjudicated guilty of traveling to meet a minor he believed to be 15 years old.
The measure must clear one more Senate committee, the Rules Committee, before it can be considered on the floor. A House companion, HB 455, is ready for a floor vote.
AMBER PATINO