PETITION TO GOVERNOR MOORE – AMEND THE SECOND LOOK ACT

Governor Moore,

Picture a mother, her heart already shattered, clutching a photograph of her son—a young man whose life was stolen in a moment of senseless violence. Picture a community trembling once more, knowing that the killer who tore their world apart could soon drag them back into court again and again. This is the future the newly passed Maryland Second Look Act threatens to unleash—a future where justice is unraveled, where victims are retraumatized, and where those who have already suffered the unthinkable are forced to relive their nightmares every three years, up to three different times.

We, the people of Maryland, stand before you with a plea born of anguish and unyielding resolve. We beg you to amend HB 853, the so-called Maryland Second Look Act, so that the most violent offenders cannot use it and so that victims’ families are not compelled to return to court over and over. Under this law, those who committed heinous crimes—murderers, rapists, child abusers, even those who have committed acts of terrorism—between the ages of 18 and 25 may now demand repeated resentencing opportunities after just 20 years.

This isn’t about second chances for youthful mistakes. It’s about handing yet another mechanism of hope—another pathway back into court—to those who made conscious, brutal choices that destroyed entire families. If sex offenders, murderers of first responders, and those sentenced to life without parole cannot use this Act, why are individuals convicted of first-degree murder permitted to do so? How can a system deny reconsideration to some of the most dangerous offenders, yet allow first-degree murderers—people who intentionally extinguished a human life—to pull families back into their trauma again and again?

Consider the family of Richard Collins III—a beacon of promise whose life was stolen before it even began. Richard, a newly commissioned Army lieutenant, stood ready to serve this nation as his father and grandfather had. At 22, fueled by hatred, Sean Urbanski stabbed Richard’s future into silence in a racially motivated murder at the University of Maryland. Under the Second Look Act, Urbanski could drag Richard’s family back into court after 20 years, and again three years later, and again after that. Each petition would rip open wounds that time cannot heal.

And Richard’s family is not alone. Countless Maryland families lost their children, their parents, their loved ones to young adults who made catastrophic choices. These were not impulsive mistakes but deliberate acts of violence—murders, rapes, brutal assaults that permanently scarred victims and shattered communities. Yet this Act allows these offenders to argue—again and again—that they deserve release, as if two decades could wash away the tears of the families they destroyed.

We’ve already lived this nightmare, Governor. The Juvenile Restoration Act paved the way, and its consequences have been devastating. One offender released under its promise of “restoration” attempted to murder everyone in his girlfriend’s townhouse within 18 months of being freed—torching two homes and leaving devastation in his wake. Another, granted reconsideration, murdered his girlfriend on Christmas morning in front of their 10-year-old son and entire family. Yet another early-release offender murdered a young Maryland woman—a daughter, a sister, a bright future stolen forever—because our system gambled with her safety.

These are not isolated cases. They are warnings.

And the science backs them. The United States Department of Justice and Maryland’s own experts caution that “significant recidivist violence” is expected under laws like this one. They cite a chilling 47–51% recidivism rate for individuals convicted of homicide. These aren’t just numbers—they are forecasts of shattered families, broken communities, and lives we will never get back.

But this is not only about data, Governor. It is about humanity. It is about the father who stares at an empty chair, the mother who holds a photograph instead of a child, the communities left to mourn heroes like Richard Collins III. In earlier times, he might have been under your command. Would you have supported giving the man who murdered one of your troops multiple opportunities to plead for freedom?

No family should be forced to face their loved one’s killer every three years. No family should be dragged back into court after they have already endured the unbearable. Yet this Act guarantees exactly that unless it is amended.

Governor Moore, you have the power to stop this cruelty.
You can meet with these families. Hear their stories. Feel the weight they carry every day. And you can amend HB 853 to ensure that the most heinous offenders—including those convicted of first-degree murder—cannot weaponize this law to torment victims again and again.

If this Act remains unchanged, we will not waver. We will rise in the next legislative session to fight for its reform, to restore dignity and safety to Maryland families. But we believe in you, Governor. We believe you can make the courageous choice now—to protect our communities, to honor our fallen, to prevent further grief.

Amend HB 853. Let justice stand. Let Maryland heal.

The signatories below are loyal citizens of Maryland. And so say we all.