The purpose of this petition is to raise awareness of our current criminal justice system and how, not just the state of NJ, but our country handles violent sex. WE THE PEOPLE HAVE HAD ENOUGH AND WE WANT CHANGE. My cousin, Nicole Ayres, was a beautiful 22 yr. old softball stand out that was brutally murdered on September 13, 2010 by Stephan Headley, a registered sex offender, who was on parole at the time of her murder. On June 5, 2012, Headley plead guilty to purposely and willfully stabbing Nicole multiple times in the head, neck and back then leaving her body in a South Hampton soccer field. At the time of his plea, he showed absolutely no remorse as he explained his version of what happened that night.  Meanwhile, my Aunt and Uncle, Nicole’s mother and father had to sit and listen to how their baby died, my Aunt sobbing. Headley does not deserve to breathe the same air and he certainly does not deserve another chance at harming another innocent person.  There is an insurmountable amount of scientific evidence that suggests sex offenders cannot be rehabilitated.  Headley was charged with fondling an 11 yr. old which was plead down to child endangerment and only got him probation he then went on to willfully and perposedly kill my cousin. There is also evidence that he threated another person who he dated, threatening to kill both her and her mother cutting them up and feeding them to the pigs. He is truly a monster. Although Burlington County Prosecutor Robert D. Bernardi said his office will seek life in prison without the possibility of parole when Superior Court Judge James W. Palmer Jr. imposes the sentence set for September 10,  2012.  Judge James Palmer has stated that he would accept his plea and sentence him to the 30 years with 30 years served, which is the minimum sentence for first degree murder in the state of NJ.  This is such an injustice, not only to Nicole and ourfamily but to every tax paying citizen of NJ. As a resident and mother myself I certainly do not want this monster out on our streets in 30 years. Since Governor Corzine abolished the death penalty in 2007, life without parole was to be the sentence for the most brutal and heinous of crimes. This crime certainly falls under that category. I have started this petition not only raise awareness of Nicole’s case but to send a strong message to the politicians of NJ and to Judge Palmer, that as citizens of this state we are tired of our children being harmed by these monsters and a sex offender turned murderer should never be able to walk our streets to harm another person. We need to tell them that, as tax paying citizens; a mandatory sentence of life without the possibility of parole is the only just sentence. Again, Nicole was not just my cousin she was a standout softball player with a promising life ahead of her. She was the 2007 Atlantic 10 Rookie of the year at Fordham University which she was awarded a full four year scholarship. Before Fordham, as a Varsity softball player at Deptford High School, she had an outstanding junior season where she averaged two strikeouts per inning, including 22 strikeouts in an eight-inning contest, while posting a 0.03 ERA. She was also a Clay Award Finalist, garnered All-South Jersey, All-Conference, and All-County honors.  She posted 22 wins, allowing only four earned runs to go with 19 shutouts in 2005 summer ball. She was also scheduled to return to Rutgers University in the fall of 2010, all that and more taken by a selfish monster. Please help our family get the word out to the residents of NJ that the state is not taking these types of crimes seriously. 

Thank you,