Some outlets may be hesitant to publish this op-ed because of the subject matter. It’s heavy. It’s heartbreaking. And for survivors of child sexual abuse, it may be deeply triggering.
But the people of Alabama must confront an undeniable truth: the horrific events in Bibb County are not an anomaly. This isn’t a 100-year flood. Child sexual abuse is a persistent crisis affecting every county in our state.
On Dec. 4, 2024, before announcing my candidacy for attorney general, I sent State Rep. Matt Simpson (R-Daphne) a text that read: “Matt, this is Pamela Casey. Can you call me?” He did. We discussed HB49, which he had pre-filed for the 2025 legislative session. I voiced my full support, urging him to consider adding Sexual Torture of a Child Under the Age of 7 to the list of capital offenses. It was personal to me.
That same day, we were set for sentencing in a case where a jury had convicted a man just weeks earlier of Sexual Torture of a Child Under Seven. She was three years old when it happened.
The defendant was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. That day marked the culmination of a grueling year in the Blount County courtroom. My spirit was tired. Just weeks earlier, I told my husband that my body felt like it had been beaten – from the emotional toll of preparing young victims to walk into a courtroom and face their abuser at trial.
The weight of what we saw and prosecuted in 2024 was crushing:
February: Raymond Scott Putman had two victims and was tried by a jury. He was convicted of all charges, including:
- Eight counts of Sexual Abuse by Forcible Compulsion
- One count of Sodomy, second degree (against one child, beginning at age 12), and five counts of Sexual Abuse of a Child Under 12
- One count of Rape, first degree
- Two counts of Sodomy, first degree
- Two counts of Sodomy, second degree
- Two counts of Unlawful Distribution of Material Harmful to a Minor
March: Ralph Burg pled guilty to Sodomy in the first degree just before trial.
August: We investigated the kidnapping of a 10-year-old girl in Blountsville, Ala. She was recovered from the home of Johnny Chandler, who was charged with Human Trafficking, Kidnapping first degree, Rape first degree, and Sexual Abuse of a Child Under 12.
September: Leonel Lopez pled guilty to two counts of Rape, first degree of a child by forcible compulsion under the age of 16, and Incest.
October: Dustin Lamar Peoples was convicted after a jury trial of Sexual Abuse of a Child Under 12 and Sodomy in the first degree.
November: Jeffery Allan Gable was convicted after a jury trial of Sexual Torture of a Child Under 7 and Sexual Abuse of a Child Under 12.
This list doesn’t even reflect all the other cases charged or investigated in 2024 or those still pending from prior years.
These aren’t just files. These are children. They have names. They are innocent lives shattered in ways that most people cannot begin to comprehend. And it’s not just happening in Blount or Bibb County.
No child should ever have to describe what a grown man did to them – not to a stranger, not in a courtroom, and certainly not to a jury of 12 people they’ve never met. But that’s exactly what we ask them to do. We ask them to relive their trauma, under oath, with their abuser sitting just feet away. It is one of the most heartbreaking and courageous acts I’ve witnessed in nearly two decades as a prosecutor.
No child should have to carry that burden — but many do. And they deserve a justice system that honors their strength and protects others from suffering the same fate.
And these are just the cases we were able to prosecute. For every child who makes it into the courtroom, there are many more suffering in silence – waiting to be believed, waiting to be protected, waiting for justice.
We cannot legislate evil out of the hearts of predators – but we can create laws that reflect the severity of their crimes. We can support legislation that gives district attorneys the tools to seek the strongest possible punishment. And we can ensure that Alabama is not a place where abusers feel protected.
Simpson’s bill is a start. Expanding the death penalty to include Rape, Sodomy, and Sexual Torture of a Child Under 7 is necessary.
But legislation alone is not enough. We must fund resources for victims. We must train investigators and prosecutors. We must speak boldly — and act swiftly.
If we won’t stand up for the most vulnerable among us – who will?
Had HB49 been passed in 2025, some of the monsters in Bibb County may have been eligible for the death penalty for what they did to those babies in that bunker.
It’s time for Alabama to open its eyes.
This crisis is not rare. It is real. It is relentless. And it is happening in your community.
I will not stop fighting this fight.
Pamela Casey was elected District Attorney of Blount County in 2010. From 2007-2011, she served as an Assistant Attorney General. She is a candidate for Attorney General in 2026.
The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the policy or position of 1819 News. To comment, please send an email with your name and contact information to [email protected].
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