Mary Rippy Act

"Mary Rippy Violent Offenders Act"

Requires Registration With Police Agencies

Effective November 1, 2004, Oklahomans have been able to check a database that lists the names and addresses of citizens who have been convicted of violent crimes.

House Bill 1853, which is better known as the "Mary Rippy Violent Crime Offenders Registration Act," was passed by the Legislature and signed by Gov. Brad Henry in 2004 mandating the creation of a violent offender registry that is similar to the registry on which sex offenders are listed.

The title of the bill was intended as a memorial to a woman who was murdered in east-central Oklahoma.

Who was Mary Rippy?

Mary Rippy was a Wewoka resident who was strangled with a telephone cord by her neighbor, Tommy Standerfer, in September 2003. Standerfer had a criminal past -- a fact that Rippy and her neighbors did not know before her death.

Rippy's neighbor and friend, Jerry Riddle, came up with the idea that made HB 1853 a reality. Riddle said he and other friends and family members were especially frustrated by the fact that they were unaware of Standerfer's past. "Mary Rippy was like a second grandmother to me," Riddle said. "If only we had known about the next-door neighbor."

Standerfer was paroled after serving 10 years of a 25-year manslaughter sentence. At the time, he was not required to disclose that information to the community.

Riddle said he wondered why sex offenders had to register and disclose their place of residence but violent criminals were exempt from the same measure.Ultimately, Riddle's question turned into a law that is the only one of its kind in the nation. "I am so thankful we do have this law, and I hope in the future it will save many more lives," he said.

Under the new law, criminals who were convicted of crimes such as murder, attempted murder and rape will have three days after they are released from prison to tell police where they live. Police officers will then be responsible for alerting their respective communities -- including surrounding schools and businesses.

Since the law took effect November 1, 2004, only violent criminals released after that date have been required to register. Currently, the law is not retroactive to criminals who have already completed their sentences or those who are currently on parole. According to Oklahoma Department of Corrections, about 200 convicts a year will have to register.

Title 57. Prisons and Reformatories

Oklahoma Statutes Citationized
  Title 57. Prisons and Reformatories
    Chapter 8C - Mary Rippy Violent Crime Offenders Registration Act
        Section 593 - Applicability of Act
Cite as: 57 O.S. § 593 (OSCN 2005)

A. On and after November 1, 2004, the provisions of the Mary Rippy Violent Crime Offenders Registration Act shall apply to:

1. Any person residing, working or attending school in this state who is subsequently convicted of, or who receives a deferred judgment or suspended sentence for, any crime or attempted crime enumerated in subsection B of this section by any court in this state, another state, the United States, a tribal court, or a military court; or

2. Any person who subsequently enters this state for purposes of residence, work or to attend school and who has been previously convicted of or is subject to a deferred judgment, suspended sentence, probation or parole from any court of another state, the United States, a tribal court, or a military court for any crime or attempted crime which, if committed or attempted in this state, would be a crime substantially similar to any crime enumerated in subsection B of this section.

For purposes of this act, "convicted of" means an adjudication of guilt by a court of competent jurisdiction whether upon a verdict or plea of guilty or nolo contendere.

B. The following crimes and attempts to commit such crimes shall be registered under the Mary Rippy Violent Crime Offenders Registration Act:

1. First degree murder as provided for in Section 701.7 of Title 21 of the Oklahoma Statutes;

2. Second degree murder as provided for in Section 701.8 of Title 21 of the Oklahoma Statutes;

3. Manslaughter in the first degree as defined by Section 711 of Title 21 of the Oklahoma Statutes;

4. Shooting or discharging a firearm with intent to kill, use of a vehicle to facilitate the intentional discharge of a firearm, crossbow or other weapon, assault, battery, or assault and battery with a deadly weapon or by other means likely to produce death or great bodily harm, as provided for in Section 652 of Title 21 of the Oklahoma Statutes;

5. Assault with intent to kill as provided for in Section 653 of Title 21 of the Oklahoma Statutes;

6. Bombing as provided for in Section 1767.1 of Title 21 of the Oklahoma Statutes; and

7. Any crime or attempt to commit a crime constituting a substantially similar offense as stated in paragraphs 1 through 6 of this subsection adjudicated by any court of another state, the United States, a tribal court, or a military court.

C. The registration requirements of the Mary Rippy Violent Crime Offenders Registration Act shall not apply to any person while the person is incarcerated in a maximum or medium correctional institution of the Department of Corrections, a private correctional institution, or another state, federal, tribal or military facility, but shall apply to deferred, suspended, probation, parole and discharges.