The Tennessee legislative session starts in one month. A state representative from Hixson is working on a bill that would expand the death penalty for certain crimes, building off a 2024 law.

Representative Greg Martin wants to give prosecutors the ability to pursue capital punishment for the rape of a child. Before 2024, the highest punishment for that offense in Tennessee was life in prison without the possibility of parole.

"I think it's one of those things that people don't think about. Why would you think about it? I can promise you that the mothers and fathers whose children are victims of this... they understand the weight of this matter. I think it's going to send a message to people out there, that are bad actors toward our children, that if you violate the most vulnerable of ou

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