The Louisiana Supreme Court has ruled that a Mississippi-based electronic monitoring company, AEM, can be tried for negligent homicide in the case of Peggy Beasley, a mother of three who was murdered by her estranged husband, Marshall Rayburn. Beasley had reported to authorities that Rayburn was drugging and raping her, leading to his arrest and placement on an ankle monitor with an exclusion zone around her home. However, Rayburn repeatedly breached the zone, and AEM failed to report the violations to authorities.
Beasley was eventually killed by Rayburn in her home, with Rayburn also taking his own life. Crime scene photos revealed that Rayburn had tampered with his ankle monitor to block the signal, which went unreported by AEM. The case has sparked new legislation in Louisiana requiring monitoring companies to report breaches or face penalties, making Louisiana the first state to hold such companies criminally accountable for failures in reporting violations.
Beasley’s family hopes that the new law will prevent future tragedies like hers. The case against AEM will proceed, with District Attorney Sam D’Aquilla stating, “The system failed. We’re doing everything we can to hold somebody accountable for the death of their mother.” Fox 8 reached out to AEM for comment but received no response. The new law came too late for Peggy Beasley, but her family hopes that it will save lives in the future.
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