During a recent broadcast of Alabama Public Television's "Capitol Journal," State Rep. Matt Simpson (R-Daphne) sounded off about his plan to re-file a bill from the 2025 session that would have made child rapists eligible for the death penalty.
In the wake of horrific child sex abuse cases in Bibb County, Simpson and State Sen. April Weaver (R-Brierfield) announced that they would re-file the bill in the 2026 session after it failed to get a vote in the Senate.
The bill would have required that a person 18 or older convicted of rape in the first degree or sodomy in the first degree, when the victim is under 12, be given a death sentence or life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. If the offender is under 18, the sentence is life imprisonment without parole or life.
"Capitol Journal" host Todd Stacy asked Simpson about potential pushback from those who don't support the death penalty at all.
Simpson argued that someone who would commit such terrible crimes against children was not capable of being "rehabilitated."
"I understand people's philosophy on, you know, that's a personal belief of they don't believe in the death penalty. I am the exact opposite," Simpson outlined. "I believe in the death penalty. I believe the death penalty is not used enough. I believe we should use it more. I believe there should be more crimes that are involved with the death penalty because of what you're doing. Again, this isn't somebody that can be rehabilitated. If you're doing this to a child this young, it's not something where you come back and say, 'Hey, I learned my lesson and I'm sorry and I'd like to be a productive member of society. There is something off with someone that does this, and that is a danger to our community, and I don't think you can come back from that. I think it's gone too far."
"Number one, the death penalty serves as a deterrent to prevent others from doing this," he continued. "I do think it helps with accountability to make sure the victims' family can see, hey, the person that did this to you is going to be punished for what they did to you. The children will never get over this. You don't just say, OK, well that happened to me, and now I'm better. It's something they have to live with for the rest of their lives, and so, if it's that heinous, if it's that big of a crime, it deserves this punishment."
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