New Details Revealed
But the documents were telling. They revealed Molly, who was right-handed, had died in a bedroom in her boyfriend Richie Minton’s apartment from a single gunshot wound to the left side of her head, and that Minton called 911 twice the night of her death: once claiming she had overdosed, and then a second time—seven minutes later—saying she’d committed suicide with a gun.
According to the documents, Minton, whose parents were both police officers, had told 911 dispatchers he had moved the body to attempt life-saving measures, and he was allowed to wash his hands and change his clothing before being taken into custody for questioning.
In addition, Minton was employed by the city and worked as a dispatcher for the Carbondale Police Department.
As part of a coroner’s inquest into how Molly died, jurors were presented with evidence that painted Molly as a depressed young woman. It is alleged she’d sent a text to Minton at some unspecified point, declaring, “I don’t want to live anymore.”
Minton’s family “was politically connected,” Illinois State Sen. Terri Bryant tells A&E Crime + Investigation, adding that that’s why she believes state prosecutors refused to pursue criminal charges against him. “A lot about this case suggested Molly’s death was suspicious.”
Bryant points to the removal of portions of the apartment’s carpeting as well as the changes made to the “cause” section of Molly’s death certificate, which first stated she’d died by suicide but was later amended to “undetermined.”
Bryant says that Larry contacted her soon after his lawsuit had been squashed, asking that a law be crafted in order to prevent other bereaved relatives from suffering through a similar ordeal when documents are purposely withheld.
“I had a close aunt—my mom’s younger sister—and she was younger, so she was like my sister,” Bryant explains. “She was murdered by her boyfriend in a murder-suicide, and when Larry showed me a picture, Molly looked very much like my young aunt, who was 20, and it moved me very much.
“Molly either committed suicide or was killed by her boyfriend. Only three people know what happened: Molly, her boyfriend and his roommate.”
Changing the Policy
According to Bryant, aisle-crossing negotiations took place, and in time, the first version of Molly’s Law was conceived. Although it was not going to be a retroactive law, Larry was an ardent supporter of the legislation, which was signed on July 19, 2016.
Bryant explains that Molly’s Law removes the statute of limitations for filing certain kinds of wrongful death claims, including those resulting from murder, manslaughter and drug-induced homicide. “The law also updated the Freedom of Information Laws, so that there would be teeth in it,” she says.
Prior to Molly’s Law, public officials could endlessly delay records requests, Chicago-based attorney Josh Loevy confirms to A&E Crime + Investigation, without facing any ramifications. Now, public bodies must make a good faith effort to comply with records requests within 35 days.
Those that are found by a court to have willfully and intentionally failed to comply faces fines of between $2,500 and $5,000 per occurrence. The amendments also allow courts to further impose additional penalties of up to $1,000 per day for each day the violation continues, “and that usually leads to a response,” Loevy says. “So, it has added a sort of civil penalty, trying to incentivize public bodies who have been ordered to do something to actually do it.”
Bryant feels proud of Molly’s Law’s passage. “I just wanted to fight what I thought was an injustice, so it wouldn’t happen to anyone again,” she says. “Larry knew it would not be retroactive, and he was fine with that as long as this never happened to another family again.”
“When I leave office,” Bryant says, without speculating on when that might be, “Molly’s Law is the most important thing I have done.”
